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HISTORY 


PROVIDENCE  STAGE, 


1762=1891. 


GEORGE    O.    WILLARD, 


Including  Sketches  of  Many  Prominent  Actors  who  have 
Appeared  in  America. 


PROVIDENCE  : 

THE     RHODE     ISLAND     NEWS    COMPANV 

Publisher's  Agent. 

1 891. 


Respectfully  Dedicated  to  my  Friend, 

Mr.   CHARLES    BLAKE, 

Author  of  First  History  of  Providence  Stage. 


SNOW    &    FARNHAM,    PRINTERS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNI 
SANTA   BARBARA 


PREFACE 


The  author  has  taken  such  an  interest  in  theatrical 
matters,  that  for  many  years  he  has  kept  almost  a  complete 
record  of  plays  and  players  in  Providence.  He  has  often 
been  asked  to  write  a  history  of  the  Providence  stage,  but 
has  not  found  time  to  devote  to  such  a  work  until  recently. 
In  1868,  Mr.  Charles  Blake,  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
published  such  a  history,  bringing  the  record  up  to  the  latter 
part  of  1859.  Obtaining  the  consent  of  Mr.  Blake  to  em- 
body his  history  in  this  work,  the  writer  has  added  several 
sketches  of  prominent  stars  to  the  former,  and  has  continued 
the  record  up  to  the  present  year.  Mr.  Blake's  work  made 
the  latter  a  comparatively  easy  task,  although  a  search  of  old 
files  of  newspapers  for  more  than  thirty  years  was  necessary 
to  obtain  criticisms,  accounts  of  prominent  events,  etc. 

The  writer  is  greatly  indebted  to  Brown's  History  of  the 
American  Stage,  Phelps's  Players  of  a  Century,  and  that  ex- 
cellent work  recently  published  in  Philadelphia  by  Gebbie  & 
Co.,  entitled  Stage  and  its  Stars,  Past  and  Present,  for  va- 
rious matters  of    interest,  together  with    sketches,   etc.,    of 

prominent  stars. 

Geo.  O.  Willard. 


CHAPTER   I. 

1745-1761. 

Introduction  of  the  Drama  into  the  West  Indies  by  Moody- 
Amateurs  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York— William  and  Lewis 
Hallam  send  a  company  of  Actors  to  Yorktown— Hostility  to 
Theatres  in  the  Northern  Colonies— The  Virginia  Comedians 
play  in  Newport  in  1761— Charity  Benefits— Moral  Dialogues— 
A  curious  play-bill— Sketches  of  the  performers— Douglass— 
Hallam— Morris. 

THE  founder  of  the  American  Stage  was  Moody,  of 
Drury  Lane,  a  man  who  in  early  life  had  been  a  barber, 
but  who,  having  a  taste  for  the  drama,  subsequently 
attempted  the  histrionic  profession.  He  was  naturally  a 
comedian,  and  was  somewhat  distinguished  for  his  personation 
of  Irish  characters,  but  he  aspired  to  play  the  heroes  of  tragedy, 
and,  as  he  was  unable  to  attain  the  accomplishment  of  his 
desires  at  home,  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  New 
World.  Accordingly  he  set  sail,  and  reached  the  island  of 
Jamaica  about  the  year  1745.  There  he  found  an  amateur 
company  playing  in  a  ball-room,  and,  offering  his  services,  he 
proved  so  superior  to  any  actor  the  planters  had  seen,  that 
he  achieved  a  signal  success.  His  popularity  was  so  great 
that  he  was  induced  to  propose  to  them  the  opening  of  a 
regular  theatre  with  a  company  which  he  offered  to  bring 
out  from  England.  This  offer  met  with  the  warmest  ap- 
proval ;  a  subscription  was  set  on  foot,  and  he  returned  home 
for  recruits,  with  whom  he  made  his  appearance  the  follow- 
ing winter,  when  he  opened  with  due  dignity  the  first  temple 
of  Thespis  that  was  reared  in  the  colonies. 

He  prospered  so  well  in  his  enterprise  that  in  a  few  years 
he  amassed  a  considerable  fortune,  when  he  was  obliged  to 
return  to  England  to  make  fresh  engagements.  An  offer 
was  made  him  by  Mr.  Garrick  to  enlist  at  Drury  Lane,  and, 
accepting  this  offer,  he  transferred  the  expedition  to  the  com- 


2  HISTORY    OF    THE 

pany  which  he  had  raised,  the  chief  members  of  which  were 
Messrs.  Douglass,  Kershaw,  Smith,  Daniels,  and  Morris, 
with  their  wives,  and  a  Miss  Hamilton,  who  was  their  prin- 
cipal actress.  They  reached  Jamaica  about  1 75  1 ,  and  suc- 
ceeded not  only  to  Moody's  rights,  but  to  his  gains.1 

In  1749  a  theatrical  company  was  playing  in  Philadelphia, 
and  on  the  police  records  of  that  city,  bearing  date  January 
8,  1749,  it  is  written  that  the  Recorder  acquainted  the 
Board  with  some  facts  concerning  certain  persons  who  had 
lately  taken  upon  themselves  to  act  play  acts,  etc.  In  1750  this 
same  company  went  to  New  York,  and  played  in  a  wooden 
building  in  Nassau  street  which  they  had  hastily  converted 
into  a  theatre  capable  of  seating  about  three  hundred  per- 
sons. They  then  went  to  Williamsburg,  Va.,  and,  under 
the  Presidency  of  Thomas  Lee,  the  "  Philadelphia  and  New 
York  Company  of  Comedians,"  as  they  were  called,  obtained 
permission  to  erect  a  theatre  in  Williamsburg,  which  was  be- 
gun and  finished  in  the  year  1750.  This  company  consisted 
of  amateur  performers,  assisted  by  one  or  two  actors,  who 
had  straggled  from  the  British  West  India  Islands,2  probably 
from  Moody's  company. 

Theatrical  performances  of  some  kind  had  taken  place  in 
New  York  as  early  as  1733,  but  there  is  no  information 
touching  the  names,  number,  or  quality  of  the  performers, 
the  only  evidence  of  their  existence  being  an  advertisement 
in  Bradford's  Gazette  of  that  year,  by  which  a  tradesman  calls 
public  attention  to  his  place  of  business  "next  door  to  the 
Play-House."3  It  is  not  probable  that  this  place  was  the 
scene  of  any  professional  acting. 

The  tidings  of  the  good  fortune  of  the  Jamaica  comedians 
were  borne  to  London,  and  occasioned  the  organization  of  a 
similar  expedition,  designed  for  the  Continental  colonies. 
William  Hallam,  who  had  succeeded  Giffard  in  the  manage- 
ment of  Goodman's  Fields  Theatre,  when  Giffard  and  Gar- 
rick  had  been  invited  to  Drury  Lane,  first  conceived  the  plan 
of  sending  a  thoroughly  organized  troop  of  actors  to  America  ; 
from  which  circumstance  he  has  been  termed  "  The  Father 
of  the  American   Stage."     He  associated  with   himself    his 

1  Early  days  of  the  American  Stage,  by  John  Bernard.  2  Fifty  years  of  a  Play -goer's 
Journal.     3  Judge  Daly's  Lecture. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  3 

brother  Lewis,  who  consented  to  cross  the  Atlantic  with  his 
wife,  and  attempt  the  introduction  of  the  drama  into  the 
Western  world.  His  first  step  was  to  send  as  an  avant- 
couricr  one  Robert  Upton,  who  was  charged  with  the  duty 
of  obtaining  the  permission  of  the  authorities  to  prepare  a 
theatre  in  New  York,  and  to  make  such  other  preliminary  ar- 
rangements as  might  be  necessary.  This  Upton  proved 
faithless  to  his  trust  ;  for,  on  his  arrival,  finding  the  Nassau 
street  "  theatre  "  unoccupied,  he  turned  the  circumstance  to 
his  own  advantage,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the 
former  occupants  he  collected  several  recruits,  and  tried  to 
maintain  a  theatre.  After  a  few  feeble  attempts,  disheart- 
ened by  failure,  he  left  the  country.  Mr.  Hallam,  receiving 
no  tidings  from  his  ambassador,  continued  his  preparations. 
He  secured  the  services  of  a  number  of  actors  of  well  estab- 
lished reputation  and  undeniable  talents,  and  put  into  re- 
hearsal twenty-four  of  the  most  approved  plays,  with  attend- 
ant farces.  When  all  were  familiar  with  their  parts  they 
sailed  for  America  on  Board  the  Charming  Sally,  and  after 
six  weeks'  passage  arrived  at  Yorktown,  Va.  The  com- 
pany were  not  idle  during  the  voyage,  but  rehearsed  all  the 
plays  which  had  been  selected,  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the 
vessel  whenever  the  weather  permitted. 

From  Yorktown  the  company  proceeded  to  Williamsburg, 
where  they  arrived  in  the  month  of  June.  Lewis  Hallam 
obtained  permission  of  Governor  Dinwiddie  to  give  perform- 
ances and  began  his  preparations.  Meanwhile  some  of  his 
inferior  actors  went  to  Annapolis,  Maryland,  and,  associating 
themselves  with  the  "New  York  and  Philadelphia  Com- 
pany," opened  the  new  theatre,  a  brick  building  capable  of 
holding  about  six  hundred  people,  with  the  "  Beaux  Strata- 
gem "  and  the  farce  of  "The  Virgin  Unmasked."  When  Mr. 
Hallam  had  completed  his  arrangements  they  returned  to 
Williamsburg,  and  there,  on  the  fifth  of  September,  1752, 
Shakspeare's  "Merchant  of  Venice,"  and  Garrick's  farce  of 
"  Lethe  "  were  represented  to  a  delighted  audience.1 

When  the  comedians  left  Williamsburg,  Governor  Din- 
widdie gave  the  manager  a  certificate  signed  in  council, 
recommending  the  company  as  comedians,  and  testifying  to 

1  Dunlap's  History  of  tlie  American  Theatre. 


4  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  propriety  of  their  behavior  as  men.  They  then  performed 
in  Annapolis  and  other  towns  in  Maryland,  and  finally  in  New 
York  ami   Philadelphia. 

William  Hallam  meanwhile  had  remained  in  England  with 
the  understanding  that  he  should  receive  half  of  the  profits 
of  the  enterprise.  This  engagement  was  faithfully  kept  by 
Lewis  until  the  year  1754,  when  William  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia, and,  after  a  brief  stay  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother, 
and  returned  to  England.  Lewis  Hallam,  now  sole  proprietor, 
transported  the  company  to  Jamaica,  where  they  remained 
until  1758. 

It  may  surprise  some  that  William  Hallam  did  not  send  his 
comedians  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  or  Boston  instead  of 
selecting  a  town  comparatively  so  small  as  Williamsburg  for 
their  first  appearance  ;  but  he  was  well  aware  that  dramatic 
adventurers  would  not  be  welcomed  with  cordiality,  either  in 
New  England,  Pennsylvania,  or  New  York,  where  a  general 
hostility  prevailed  to  amusements  of  all  kinds,  but  especially 
to  stage-plays.  New  England,  which  had  been  settled  by  the 
Puritans,  retained  to  a  late  period  that  bigoted  spirit  and 
hostility  to  amusements  which  had  characterized  many  of  its 
original  settlers  ;  while  in  the  South  the  people  were  more 
inclined  to  liberality,  and  more  fond  of  recreation. 

The  states  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  were  the 
strongholds  of  Puritanism,  though  in  Boston  a  spirit  of  tol- 
erance had  gained  way  among  the  inhabitants,  and  was  making 
innovations  upon  their  ascetic  habits.  As  early  as  1750  two 
Englishmen  had  attempted  to  give  a  representation  of  the 
tragedy  of  "The  Orphan"  in  the  public  room  of  a  Boston 
tavern,  and  the  eagerness  of  the  public  to  witness  the  per- 
formance occasioned  a  serious  disturbance  at  the  door.  The 
attention  of  the  legislature  was  thereby  directed  to  the  drama, 
and  a  law  was  immediately  passed  forbidding  stage-plays 
under  extremely  severe  penalties.  This  enactment  for  a 
long  time  effectually  repressed  any  attempt  at  producing 
plays  in  Massachusetts. 

On  the  return  of  the  Virginia  comedians  from  Jamaica, 
they  desired  to  enlarge  their  dramatic  circuit,  and  meditated 
a  visit  to  Rhode  Island,  a  colony  which,  as  was  popularly  be- 
lieved, was,  in  a  great  measure,  owing  to  the  views  of  its 
noble  founder,  exempt  from  the  rule   of  bigotry,  and  which 


#1 


I 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  5 

contained  a  town  famed  for  the  wealth  and  cultivation  of  its 
inhabitants. 

The  town  of  Newport  claims  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  place  in  New  England  in  which  a  temple  of  the  muses 
was  raised.  Isaiah  Thomas  in  his  History  of  Printing 
says  that  the  first  play  publicly  performed  in  New  England 
was  acted  in  Providence  in  1762.  This  erroneous  statement 
is  repeated  in  other  works  of  an  historical  character,  and  to 
this  day  the  boast  is  frequently  made  by  the  citizens  of 
Providence  that  their  town  reared  the  first  theatre  in  New 
England. 

It  is  true  that  the  Virginia  comedians  played  in  Providence 
in  1762,  but  it  cannot  be  controverted  that  they  had  performed 
in  Newport  the  previous  year.  Were  there  no  positive 
proof,  it  would  still  be  a  reasonable  inference,  judging  from 
the  relative  importance  of  the  two  towns,  that  when  the  com- 
pany arrived  from  the  South  they  would  direct  their  steps  to 
Newport,  a  large  and  thriving  place,  before  visiting  Provi- 
dence, a  town  scarcely  half  as  populous.1  It  is  a  matter  of 
record  that  in  the  summer  of  1761  the  company  under  the 
direction  of  David  Douglass  came  to  Newport  from  Williams- 
burg. In  the  Newport  Mercury  of  Aug.  n,  1761,  appeared 
the  following  announcement: 

"  The  company  of  comedians  propose  to  entertain  the  town  for  a  short 
time  with  theatrical  performances.  As  they  have  been  at  considerable 
expense,  thev  humbly  hope  that  the  inhabitants  will  grant  them  their  pro- 
tection; and,  if  they  are  so  happy  as  to  meet  with  encouragement,  they 
propose  to  give  a  benefit  night  for  the  support  of  the  poor.  The  follow-* 
ing  recommendation,  copied  from  the  original,  was  signed  by  the  Gover- 
nor, Council,  and  near  one  hundred  of  the  principal  gentlemen  of  Vir- 
ginia : 

•  Williamsburg,  June  11,  1761. 

'  The  company  of  comedians  under  the  direction  of  David  Douglass 
have  performed  in  this  colony  for  near  a  twelvemonth;  during  which  time 
thev  have  made  it  their  constant  practice  to  behave  with  prudence  and 
discretion  in  their  private  character,  and  to  use  their  utmost  endeavours 
to  give  general  satisfaction  in  their  public  capacity.  We  have  therefore 
thought  proper  to  recommend  them  as  a  company  whose  behaviour  merits 
the  favour  of  the  public,  and  who  are  capable  of  entertaining  a  sensible 
and  polite  audience.'  " 

1  At  this  time   Newpsrt  contained   about  sixty  Jewish  families,  many   >>t    ■ 
wealthy;  and  from  these  the  actors   would  naturally  expect  a  liberal   patronage,  as    the 
Jews  from  time  immemorial  have  been  conspicuous  in  their  support  of  the  drama. 


6  HISTORY     OF    THE 

It  appears  from  the  records  of  the  town  that  on  the  first 
of  August  a  special  town  meeting  was  called  at  the  request 

a  number  of  freemen,  by  warrant  of  the  town  council, 
and  it  being  put  to  vote  whether  the  freemen  "were  for 
lys  to  be  acted  in  town  or  not,  it  was  voted,  not." 
The  players,  notwithstanding  this  intimation  of.  the  popular 
will,  prepared  a  temporary  theatre,  and  gave  their  initial  per- 
formance on  the  7th  of  September,  consisting  of  the  "Pro- 
voked Wife,  or  a  Journey  to  London,"  for  the  benefit  of  the 
poor,  when  the  sum  of  one  thousand  and  thirty  pounds,  old 
tenor,  was  raised.1  This  money  was  paid  by  Mr.  Douglass 
to  Mr.  George  Gibbs,  who  expended  it  in  the  purchase  of 
corn,  which  was  stored  until  the  succeeding  winter,  and  then 
distributed  among  the  deserving  poor. 

This  was  the  first  dramatic  performance  given  in  New 
England  by  a  regular  company  of  professional  actors.  The 
theatre  was  a  slight  wooden  structure,  and  stood  on  a  lot  on 
the  north  of  that  part  of  the  town  called  Easton's  Point,  near 
Dyer's  Gate.     A  violent  storm  occurred  in  the  latter  part  of 

tober,  and  we  learn  from  the  Mercury  of  the  27th,  that  it 
broke  off  a  part  of  the  steeple  of  Trinity  Church,  wrought 
great  injury  to  the  shipping  in  the  harbor,  tore  up  trees  by 
the  roots,  and  "came  near  spoiling  the  entertainment"  of 
the  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  the  theatre. - 

In  Arnold's  History  of  Rhode  Is/and  it   is  stated  that  the 
blew  down  the  theatre,  and  that  the  comedians  narrowly 

aped  with  their  lives.  That  this  statement  is  erroneous 
appears  by  the  extract  from  the  local  paper.  Still  further: 
In  the  Newport  Mercury  of  November  3d,  there  appeared 
the  following  complimentary  notice  of  the  closing  perform- 
ance of  the  season,  which  took  place  one  week  after  the 
storm  : 

Friday  evening  last,  the  company  of  comedians  finished  their  per- 
ances  in  this  town  by  enacting  the  tragedy  of  '  Douglas '  for  the 
the  poor.  This  second  charity  is  undoubtedly  intended  as  an 
expression  of  gratitude  for  the  countenance  and  favour  the  town  has 
shown  them,  and  it  can  not  without  an  uncommon  degree  of  malevolence 
l>e  ascribed  to  an  interested  or  selfish  view,  because  it  is  given  at  a  time 
when  the  company  are  just  leaving  the  place,  and  consequently  can  have 
neither  hopes  nor  fear-  from  the  public.  In  return  for  this  generosity  it 
ought  in  justice  to  be  told  that    the   behaviour   of  the   company  has  been 

silver.  2  Bull's  Memoir  of  Rhode  Island. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  7 

irreproachable;  and  with  regard  to  their  skill  as  players,  the  universal 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  they  have  given  is  their  best  and  most  honour- 
able testimony.  The  character  they  brought  from  the  Governor  and 
gentlemen  of  Virginia  has  been  fully  verified,  and  therefore  we  shall  run 
no  risk  in  pronouncing  that  '  they  are  capable  of  entertaining  a  sensible 
and  polite  audience.'" 

After  this  charity  benefit  the  comedians  left  Newport  and 
went  to  New  York,  where  the  republication  of  this  extract 
from  the  Newport  paper  in  Gaine's  Mercury,  a  New  York 
newspaper,  did  them  no  little  service,  although  they  met  with 
much  opposition  from  the  religious  Dutch.  They  continued 
playing  there  during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  early  in  the 
summer  of  1762  again  visited  Newport,  and  gave  several  per- 
formances in  the  large  room  of  an  inn. 

An  explanation  is  necessary  concerning  their  contuma- 
cious conduct  in  disregarding  the  vote  of  the  town-meeting. 
When  they  first  appeared  in  Newport  they  found  the  more 
intelligent  and  influential  of  its  citizens  desirous  of  encour- 
aging dramatic  exhibitions,  although  the  majority  were  bit- 
terly opposed  to  them,  as  was  evinced  by  their  vote.  There  was 
no  general  statute  prohibiting  stage-play,  and  the  enemies  of 
the  theatre  were  more  numerous  than  powerful,  and  were  igno- 
rant how  to  proceed  under  the  circumstances.  To  conciliate 
all  Mr.  Douglass  resorted  to  an  expedient  similar  to  that 
used  by  John  Philip  Kemble  and  Mrs.  Siddons  in  the  Eng- 
lish provincial  theatres  to  evade  the  law  against  playing  (12 
of  Anne),  but  marked  with  characteristic  peculiarities.1  He 
eluded  the  objections  to  stage-plays  with  the  same  success^ 
which  in  later  years  attended  the  substitution  of  the  word 
"  Museum  "  or  "  Lyceum  "  for  "  Theatre  "  in  several  Ameri- 
can cities.  In  some  places  he  had  announced  to  the  citizens 
that  he  had  opened  an  "Histrionic  Academy  in  order  to 
deliver  dissertations  on  subjects  instructive  and  interesting," 
and  to  qualify  the  visitors  "to  speak  in  public  with  propriety." 
In  Newport  he  advertised  entertainments  called  "  Moral 
Dialogues."  Thus  far  his  method  of  securing  favor  resem- 
bled that  of  Kemble,  but  Douglass  showed  originality  in  the 
form  of  his  bills.  The  original  of  the  one  here  presented 
was  preserved  by  Mr.  Morris  of  this  company,  and  by  him 
given  to  Mr.  John  Bernard,  the  eminent  actor,  in  whose  pos- 

1  See  Appendix  A. 


8  HISTORY     OF    THE 

thumous  papers,  published  in  1850  in  an  English  Dramatic 
Magazine,  a  copy  first  appeared.  It  ran  in  the  following- 
manner  : 

"KINGS    ARMS    TAVERN — NEWPORT,    RHODE    ISLAND. 

On  Monday,  June  10th,  at  the  Public  Room  of  the  above  Inn,  -will  be  de- 
livered a  series  of 

MORAL     DIALOGUES, 

IN    FIVE    PARTS, 

Depicting  the  evil  effects  of  jealousy  and  other  bad  passions,  and  proving 

that  happiness  can  only  spring  from  the 

pursuit  of  virtue. 

Mr.  Douglass  —  Will  represent  a  noble  and  magnanimous  Moor  called 
Othello,  who  loves  a  young  lady  named  Desdemona,  and  after  he  has 
married  her,  harbours  (as  in  too  many  cases)  the  dreadful  passion  of 
jealousy. 

Of  jealous}-,  our  being's  bane, 

Mark  the  small  cause  and  the  most  dreadful  pain. 

'■  Mr.  Ally/i  —  Will  depict  the  character  of  a  specious  villain,  in  the 
regiment  of  Othello,  who  is  so  base  as  to  hate  his  commander  on  mere 
suspicion,  and  to  impose  on  his  best  friend.  Of  such  characters,  it  is  to 
be  feared,  there  are  thousands  in  the  world,  and  the  one  in  question  may 
present  to  us  a  salutary  warning. 

The  man  that  wrongs  his  master  and  his  friend, 
What  can  he  come  to  but  a  shameful  end? 

"  Mr.  Hallam  —  Will  delineate  a  young  and  thoughtless  officer  who  is 
traduced  by  Mr.  Allyn,  and,  getting  drunk,  loses  his  situation  Mid  his 
general's  esteem.     All  young  men  whatsoever,  take  example  from  Cassio. 

The  ill  effects  of  drinking  would  you  see, 
Be  warned  and  fly  from  evil  company. 

"Mr.  Morris  —  Will  represent  an  old  gentleman,  the  father  of  Desde- 
mona, who  is  not  cruel  or  covetous,  but  is  foolish  enough  to  dislike  the 
noble  Moor,  his  son-in-law,  because  his  face  is  not  white,  forgetting  that 
we  all  spring  from  one  root.  Such  prejudices  are  very  numerous  and 
very  wrong. 

Fathers  beware  what  sense  and  love  ye  lack, 
'Tis  crime,  not  colour,  makes  the  being  black. 

"Mr.  Qiielch  —  Will  depict  a  fool  who  wishes  to  become  a  knave,  and 
trusting  to  one,  gets  killed  by  him.  Such  is  the  friendship  of  rogues. 
Take  heed. 

When  fools  would  knaves  become,  how  often  you'll 

Perceive  the  knave  not  wiser  than  the  fool. 

'•  Mrs.  Norris —  Will  represent  a  young  and  virtuous  wife,  who,  being 
wrongfully  suspected,  gets  smothered  (in  an  adjoining  room)  by  her  hus- 
band. 

Reader,  attend,  and  ere  thou  gocst  hence, 
Let  fall  a  tear  to  hapless  innocence. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  9 

"  Mrs.  Douglass  —  Will  be  her  faithful  attendant,  who  will  hold  out  a 
good  example  to  all  servants,  male  and  female,  and  to  all  people  in  sub- 
jection. 

Obedience  and  gratitude 

Are  things  as  rare  as  they  are  good. 

"  Various  other  dialogues,  too  numerous  to  mention  here,  will  be  de- 
livered at  night,  all  adapted  to  the  improvement  of  the  mind  and  man- 
ners. The  whole  will  be  repeated  on  Wednesday  and  on  Saturday. 
Tickets,  six  shillings  each;  to  be  had  within.  Commencement  at  7. 
Conclusion  at  half  past  10.  in  order  that  every  spectator  may  go  home  at 
a  sober  hour,  and  reflect  upon  what    he  has  seen,  before  he  retires  to  rest. 

God  save  the  King, 

And  lonsj  may  lie  sway, 
East,  north  and  south, 

And  fair  America." 

This  bill  furnishes  a  proof  of  the  fertility  of  Mr.  Doug- 
lass's invention,  and  occasions  regret  that  others  have  not 
been  preserved.  Mr.  Clapp,  in  his  Records  of  the  Boston 
Stage  has  inserted  this  bill,  and  adds  that  it  is  undoubtedly 
similar  to  those  used  at  the  Exhibition  Room  in  Boston  about 
thirty  years  later.  There  is  no  foundation  for  this  assertion, 
as  such  elaborate  vindications  of  the  morality  of  the  drama 
were  peculiar  to  Douglass's  company,  and  to  the  period  be- 
fore the  American  Revolution.  The  Boston  stage  dates 
back  only  to  1792,  and  the  sole  vestige  of  the  old  means  of 
propitiating  public  favor  then  existing  was  the  use  of  the 
term  "Moral  Dialogues." 

The  company  in  1762  consisted  of  Messrs.  David  Doug- 
lass (manager),  Hallam  the  2nd  (son-in-law  of  Douglass), 
Allyn,  Morris,  Ouelch,  Tomlinson,  Sturt,  Reed,  and  Tre- 
maine,  Master  A.  Hallam,  Mesdames  Douglass,  Morris, 
Crane,  Allyn,  and  Moor,  and  Miss  Hallam,  besides  several 
others  whose  names  are  unknown.  These  pioneers  of  the 
drama  in  Rhode  Island  were  not  ignorant  and  unskilled  vaga- 
bonds, but  artists  of  talent  and  position.  William  and  Lewis 
Hallam,  the  originators  of  the  American  dramatic  enterprise, 
were  brothers  of  Admiral  Hallam.  William,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  had  succeeded  Giffard  as  manager  at  Goodman's 
Fields,  when  Giffard  and  Garrick  had  left  that  establishment 
to  go  to  Drury  Lane.  Lewis  was  first  low  comedian  at 
Goodman's  Fields,  and  his  wife  was  a  relative  of  Mr.  Rich, 
the  manager  of  Covent  Garden. 

David  Douglass  was  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  fortune, 
who  had  emigrated  to  Jamaica  about  the  year  1750.      Hither 


IO  HISTORY    OF    THE 

had  Lewis  Hallam  transported  his  Virginia  comedians  after 
he  had  found  that  the  colonies  could  not  yield  him  an  abund- 
ant harvest  in  return  for  his  labors.  Here  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Douglass,  who,  after  the  death  of  Hallam, 
married  his  widow,  and  with  her  and  the  rest  of  the  company 
visited  the  continent  in  1758,  where  he  established  theatres 
successively  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Newport,  Perth 
Amboy,  and  Charleston,  and  between  these  localities  he  con- 
tinued to  travel,  acting  and  superintending  his  company,  till 
Congress  closed  the  theatres  by  an  act  passed  Oct.  24, 
1774.  After  this  enactment  he  returned  to  Jamaica,  was 
appointed  one  of  King  George's  Judges,  and  died  universally 
respected  In  his  early  life  he  had  been  a  printer,  and  on 
his  return  to  Jamaica  he  became  a  partner  in  a  thriving  print- 
ing establishment,  and,  receiving  a  valuable  contract  from 
the  government,  he  accumulated  a  fortune  of  .£25,000. 

Mrs.  Douglass  had  been  an  eminent  actress  at  Goodman's 
Fields,  when  Mrs.  Hallam,  and  was  the  heroine  of  that  thea- 
tre at  the  time  of  Garrick's  first  success.  She  came  with 
her  first  husband  to  America  in  1752,  and  made  her  debut  at 
Williamsburg  as  Portia  in  the  "  Merchant  of  Venice."  She 
had  fine  talents,  and  her  favorite  line  was  the  pathetic.  She 
was  much  admired  both  North  and  South,  and  Mr.  Dunlap 
says  that  in  his  youth  he  has  heard  the  old  ladies  of  Perth 
Amboy  speak  almost  in  raptures  of  her  beauty  and  grace, 
and  especially  of  the  pathos  of  her  representation  of  Jane 
Shore.  She  retired  from  the  stage  in  declining  health  in 
1769,  and  died  in  Philadelphia  in  1773. 

Mr.  Hallam  the  2nd,  made  his  first  appearance  upon  any 
stage  on  the  first  night  of  the  performance  of  his  father's 
company  in  America,  when  twelve  years  old.  He  had  but 
one  line  to  speak,  but  when  he  came  into  the  presence  of  the 
audience  he  was  panic-struck.  He  stood  a  little  while,  very 
much  confused,  then,  bursting  into  tears,  retired.  He  after- 
wards became  an  accomplished  actor,  and  in  1769  he  was 
principal  tragedian  and  comedian  in  the  company.  In  1773, 
Josiah  Ouincy  said,  he  had  merit  in  every  character  he  played. 
In  1774  he  went  to  England  to  engage  performers,  and  while 
there  he  acted  Hamlet  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre  with  con- 
siderable success.  After  the  Revolution  he  collected  a  small 
company  of  actors  of  sterling  merit,  and  returned  to  Phila- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  I 

delphia,  where  he,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  John  Henry,  pro- 
duced tragedies  with  such  beauty  of  decorations  that  he 
greatly  delighted  the  citizens.  He  was  afterwards  a  manager 
in  most  of  the  theatres  of  the  country.1 

Mr.  Morris  played  the  "old  man  "  in  comedy  and  farce. 
In  1797,  being  the  oldest  actor  on  the  American  stage,  he 
still  retained  his  powers  sufficiently  to  keep  his  place  on  the 
boards,  and  at  that  time  he  communicated  to  Mr.  John  Bernard 
the  particulars  of  the  introduction  of  the  drama  into  the 
New  World.  He  had  been  one  of  the  original  company  who 
arrived  in  Jamaica  from  England  in  175 1,  and  was  well  quali- 
fied to  impart  information  on  the  subject. 

Nothing  more  is  known  respecting  the  other  performers 
than  that  they  had  been  selected  for  their  talents  and  moral 
worth,  and  that  their  behavior  justified  their  reputation. 

1  Dunlap's  History  of  the  American  Theatre. 


CHAPTER    II. 


1762. 

Introduction  of  the  Drama  into  Providence— A  town  meeting 
prohibits  plays— The  General  Assembly  is  petitioned  to  pass 
a.n  act  to  suppress  theatrical  amusements— the  act  is  passed— 
Its  promulgation  in  Providence— Anecdote  of  John  Brown- 
Theatrical  customs  before  the  Revolution— Comedians  from 
North  Carolina  make  application  for  license  to  play  in 
Rhode  Island. 

AFTER  a  few  performances  in  Newport  the  company 
visited  Providence,  and  opened  a  theatre  in  Meeting 
•  street,  east  of  Benefit  street,  near  the  cadet  gun-house 
and  alarm-post.  This  edifice  was  little  better  than  a  barn, 
but  it  was  visited  by  the  elite  of  the  town,  and  also  by  many 
visitors  from  Boston  and  other  places,  who  expressed  them- 
selves highly  pleased  with  the  performances.  The  opening 
night  was  about  the  first  of  July.  A  printing-press  was 
established  in  town  just  at  this  time,  and  the  first  articles 
printed  were  play-bills,  and  a  hand-bill  headed  "  Moro  Castle 
taken  by  storm."  None  of  these  bills  are  in  existence,  but 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  they  were  like  those  used 
by  the  same  company  in  Newport  a  fortnight  previously. 

Mr.  Douglass  did  not  long  enjoy  unmolested  the  privilege 
of  delivering  "dissertations  "  at  his  "  Histrionic  Academy  "  in 
Providence.  He  had  opened  it  without  asking  leave  of  the 
authorities,  at  which  disrespectful  conduct  many  of  the  citi- 
zens were  offended,  and,  at  a  town-meeting  on  the  19th  of 
July,  1762,  specially  called  by  warrant  at  the  request  of  a 
number  of  freemen  of  the  town,  Daniel  Jenckes,  Esq., 
moderator,  it  was  voted  and  resolved  that  the  actors  should 
not  be  permitted  to  exhibit  stage-plays,  and  that  the  depu- 
ties of  the  town  should  be  instructed  to  make  application  to 
the  General  Assembly  at  their  next  session  to   have   an  act 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  3 

made  for  suppressing  all  kinds   of  stage-plays,   or   theatrical 
shows  within  the  colony. 

The  actors  disregarding  the  town  vote,  as  in  Newport,  con- 
tinued to  perform  regularly ;  which  conduct  so  incensed  the 
opponents  of  the  drama  that  they  drew  up  a  petition  to  the 
General  Assembly,  praying  the  immediate  suppression  of  all 
theatrical  entertainments.  The  objections  which  these  good 
people  assigned  for  their  hostility  to  the  theatre  may  be 
learned  from  the  original  petition,  a  copy  of  which  is  here 
presented : 

"  To  the   Honourable  General  Assembly    oj  the    Colony  of  Rhode  Island, 
no~v  sitting  at  East  Green-Mich,  Aug.  2j,  1*62  : 

"The  petition  of  us,  the  subscribers,  inhabitants  of  the  County  of 
Providence,  humbly  sheweth  that  a  number  of  stage-players  have  latelv 
appeared,  and  a  play-house  has  lately  been  built  in  the  town  of  Providence, 
that  the  inhabitants  of  said  town  being  legally  called  by  warrant  did,  at 
their  late  town  meeting,  by  a  large  majority,  pass  a  vote  that  no  stage- 
plays  be  acted  in  said  town;  yet  the  actors,  in  defiance  of  said  vote,  and 
in  defiance  of  the  public  authority  of  said  town  have  begun,  and  are  now 
daily  continuing  to  exhibit  stage-plays  and  other  theatrical  performances, 
which  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  occasion  of  great  uneasiness  to  many 
people  in  this  Colony,  but  more  especially  to  your  Honours'  petitioners  in 
this  county,  humbly  conceiving  that  so  expensive  amusements  and  idle 
diversions  cannot  be  of  any  good  tendency  among  us,  especially  at  this 
time,  when  this  Colony  as  well  as  others  is  labouring  under  the  grievous 
calamity  of  an  uncommon  draught,  and  very  great  scarcity  of  hay  and 
provisions. 

"  Wherefore  your  petitioners  pray  that  you  will  take  this  matter  into 
your  consideration,  and  make  some  effectual  law  to  prevent  any  stage- 
plays,  comedians,  or  theatrical  performances  being  acted  in  this  Colony 
for  the  future. 

"And  your  petitioners  further  pray  that  Elisha  Brown  and  Baizillai 
Richmond  may  be  admitted  further  to  present  this  affair  to  your  Honours. 
And  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray,"  etc. 

This  petition  was  ostensibly  signed  by  four  hundred  and 
five  male  inhabitants  of  the  county,  the  population  of  the 
town  at  this  time  being  about  four  thousand.  The  original 
copy  had  only  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  names  appended  to 
it,  the  first  in  order  being  those  of  John  Graves,  Missionary, 
Samuel  Winsor,  Elder,  Joseph  Snow,  Pastor,  Edward  Mitch- 
ell, Elder,  and  Joseph  Winsor,  Elder.  It  is  believed  that 
there  were  other  copies  in  circulation  which  obtained  enough 
names  to  make  the  aggregate  of  signatures  four  hundred  and 
five.     It  is  noteworthy  that  all  the  names  subscribed  to  the 


14  HISTORY    OF    THE 

original  draught  are  in  one  handwriting,  and  that  the  only 
evidence  there  is  of  any  signers  having  been  obtained  for 
the  auxiliary  petitions  are  certain  computations  at  the  foot  of 
the  original. 

The  petition  was  presented  to  the  General  Assembly  on 
the  24th  of  August,  and  immediately  found  favor  in  both 
Houses.  A  committee  consisting  of  Captain  Benjamin 
Groome  and  William  Potter  from  the  lower  House,  with 
Joseph  Harris  from  the  upper  House,  was  appointed  to  pre- 
pare a  bill  accordingly.  They  went  to  work  without  delay, 
drew  up  an  act  on  the  model  of  one  which  had  passed  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature,  and  reported  it  the  next  day  to 
the  Assembly,  who  instantly  adopted  it. 

On  the  day  of  the  presentation  of  this  petition,  an  address 
in  opposition  thereto  was  forwarded  to  Daniel  Ayrault  and 
Augustus  Johnson,  requesting  them  to  use  their  influence 
with  the  General  Assembly  that  the  players  might  be  per- 
mitted to  act  sometime  longer,  as  the  signers  and  a  number 
of  their  friends  in  Boston  were  very  desirous  of  attending 
the  entertainments.  The  address  was  signed  by  B.  Lech- 
mere,  John  Brown  and  eight  others. 

The  subject  was  thus  hastily  disposed  of  without  the  de- 
liberation merited  by  its  importance,  because  at  that  time 
party  politics  ran  high,  and,  the  suppression  of  theatrical 
entertainments  being  made  an  issue,  the  dominant  party 
advocated  the  measure  with  so  much  violence  that  no  opposi- 
tion could  withstand  them.  The  act  was  pervaded  by  a  ran- 
corous spirit,  and  its  severity  contributed  to  make  it  inoper- 
ative in  after  years.  Although  in  some  respects  it  resembled 
that  of  Massachusetts  (its  preamble  and  first  two  sections 
being  almost  verbatim  copies  of  it),  it  exceeded  it  in  severity. 
The  Massachusetts  act  imposed  a  penalty  of  jQio  for  each 
day's  letting  of  a  building  for  the  representation  of  plays, 
and  on  the  actor  a  penalty  of  ^5  for  playing  when  more  than 
twenty  persons  were  congregated  together.  The  Rhode 
Island  law  imposed  a  penalty  of  ^50  for  each  clay's  letting 
of  a  building  for  the  representation  of  plays,  and  ,£100  on 
the  actor  who  played.  The  facilities  for  procuring  convic- 
tions were  numerous.  Any  freeholder  could  prosecute  before 
the  Inferior  Court,  and,  if  that  was  not  soon  to  be  in  session, 
a  Special  Court  of  the  Justices  could  be   summoned  for  the 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  5 

purpose  of  hearing  the  complaint,  and  there  could  be  no 
appeal  from  the  decision  of  such  court.  The  prosecutor 
could  use  as  witnesses  the  spectators,  who  incurred  severe 
penalties  if  they  should  refuse  to  give  evidence  ;  and  he  also 
received  half  of  the  penalty  after  conviction.  Thus,  if  ten 
actors  should  perform  in  a  play,  the  informer's  share  of  the 
spoils  would  be  ^500 

Such  was  the  law  as  enacted  for  general  operation,  and  for 
the  statute  book  ;  but  it  possessed  a  supplement  having  refer- 
ence to  Providence,  and  consisted  of  a  preamble  and  a  clause 
prescribing  the  mode  of  promulgation  in  that  town.  It  was 
worded  as  follows  : 

"Whereas,  a  number  of  stage-players  have  lately  appeared,  and  a  play- 
house has  lately  been  built  in  the  town  of  Providence,  and  the  players 
have  continued  to  act  in  spite  of  a  vote  of  a  large  majority  of  the  inhabit- 
ants at  a  town  meeting  called  by  warrant. 

"It  is  enacted  that  the  more  speedily  those  persons  may  have  the  earli- 
est notice,  the  Governor  is  requested  to  issue  a  warrant,  directed  to  a  pro- 
per officer  or  officers  in  the  County  of  Providence,  directing  him  or  them, 
forthwith,  on  sight  and  receipt  thereof,  to  immediately  proclaim  the  act  by 
beat  of  drum  through  the  streets  of  the  compact  part  of  the  town  of  Provi- 
dence, any  law,  custom,  or  usage  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding." 

After  the  passage  of  the  act,  Paul  Tew,  the  sheriff  of  the 
county,  brought  a  copy  from  the  Assembly,  and  attended  the 
theatre  with  it  in  his  pocket ;  and,  after  the  performance  was 
finished,  he  drew  it  forth  and  read  it  to  the  audience.  Of 
course  plays  were  now  at  an  end  in  Providence  and  Newport, 
but  the  comedians  continued  to  play  in  other  colonies  till 
Congress  recommended  the  suspension  of  all  amusements  of 
a  public  nature.  The  business  of  the  theatres  throughout 
the  country  was  at  once  destroyed,  and  the  players  were 
forced  to  betake  themselves  to  the  West  Indies,  or  to  remain 
in  retirement  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

Tradition  recites  that  before  the  passage  of  the  act  by  the 
Rhode  Island  Legislature,  by  which  stage  plays  were  de- 
clared unlawful,  the  enemies  of  the  drama,  impatient  at  the 
delay  of  the  law,  took  upon  themselves  to  abate  the  theatre 
as  a  nuisance  ;  but  their  intentions  were  frustrated  by  the 
energetic  conduct  of  John  Brown,  the  most  prominent  citizen 
of  the  town,  who,  with  the  assistance  of  some  friends,  having 
drawn  the  cannon  from  the  neighboring  gun-house  to  the 
protection  of  the  building,  threatened  to  fire  upon  the   tres- 


1 6  HISTORY    OF    THE 

passers  if  they  should  commit  any  violence.  This  timely 
action  intimidated  the  fanatics,  who  withdrew  without  exe- 
cuting their  purpose,  although  they  soon  afterwards  enjoyed 
a  triumph  when  the  theatre  was  closed  by  the  legislative  en- 
actment. 

Before  the  Revolution  there  prevailed  many  customs  which, 
if  revived  at  the  present  day,  would  occasion  surprise. 

The  entrance  to  the  boxes  was  always  by  the  stage-door, 
and  gentlemen  passing  to  them  were  in  the  habit  of  stopping 
upon  the  stage,  mingling  with  the  performers  behind  the 
scenes,  obstructing  the  actors,  and  annoying  the  actresses 
with  their  attentions.  In  some  theatres  they  actually  had 
seats  on  the  stage  itself.  On  the  31st  of  December,  1761, 
there  appeared  in  a  New  York  newspaper  this  notice,  inserted 
by  Mr.  Douglass  : 

"Complaints  have  been  made  that  a  number  of  gentlemen  crowd  the 
stage,  and  very  much  interrupt  the  performances;  and,  as  it  is  impossible 
the  actors  should  do  that  justice  to  their  parts  they  otherwise  would,  it 
will  be  taken  as  a  particular  favour  if  no  gentleman  will  be  at  the  stage 
door  unless  he  has  previously  secured  himself  a  place  in  either  the  stage, 
or  upper  boxes." 

About  a  fortnight  later  the  manager,  advertising  the  tragedy 
of  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  with  the  funeral  procession  of  Juliet 
to  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets,  appends  to  the  bill  the  following 
note  : 

"That  the  procession  may  be  conducted  with  necessary  decorum,  we 
must  renew  our  application  to  the  gentlemen  to  give  us  the  entire  use  of 
the  stage." 

The  close  proximity  of  the  boxes  to  the  stage  is  indicated 
by  an  advertisement  which  appeared  in  the  same  paper  on 
the  3d  of  May,  1762,  directly  after  a  benefit  for  a  charity 
school  : 

"A  Pistole  Reward  will  be  given  to  whoever  can  discover  the  person 
who  was  so  very  rude  as  to  throw  eggs  from  the  gallery  upon  the  stage 
last  Monday,  by  which  the  clothes  of  some  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  the 
boxes  were  spoiled,  and  the  performance  in  some  measure  interrupted." 

David  Douglass." 

Upon  the  return  of  the  actors  at  the  restoration  of  peace, 
but  few  attempts  were  made  to  renew  the  custom  of  passing 
upon  the  stage. 


proyide:stce  stage.  17 

As  the  ladies  used  to  complain  of  the  partiality  of  the 
manager  in  the  assignment  of  particular  seats,  the  bills  an- 
nounced not  only  the  hour  of  beginning  the  performances, 
but  also  the  hour  at  which  the  doors  would  be  opened  for  the 
admission  of  servants  to  secure  seats  for  their  masters.  At 
about  six  o'clock  on  the  nights  of  performance  the  servants 
purchased  the  tickets,  chose  the  most  desirable  seats  and 
occupied  them  until  the  coming  of  their  employers  with  their 
families,  when  they  vacated  them,  and  retired  to  their  homes, 
or  to  the  upper  circle.  Thus  the  theatre  at  the  rising  of  the 
curtain  usually  presented  a  variegated  appearance,  with  num- 
erous black  serving-men  retaining  seats  for  late  comers,  in 
close  proximity  to  the  belles  of  the  day. 

The  actors  played  only  twice  a  week  ;  a  season  in  a  town 
of  a  few  thousand  inhabitants  comprising  generally  twenty- 
four  nights,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  each  of  the  chief  per- 
formers took  a  benefit,  and  performances  were  given  for  the 
benefit  of  two  or  three  of  the  inferior  actors  collectively,  and 
lastly  for  some  public  charity.  The  beneficiaries  visited  the 
houses  of  the  principal  citizens  to  dispose  of  tickets.  Their 
calls  were  generally  welcome,  and  the  tickets  were  liberally  pur- 
chased. A  gentleman  felt  honored  in  being  thus  called  upon, 
considering  it  an  acknowledgment  of  his  influence  as  a  citi- 
zen, and  of  his  taste  as  a  patron  of  the  drama.  This  prac- 
tice was  however  soon  discontinued,  on  account  of  the  vari- 
ous inconveniences  which  attended  it ;  the  actor  in  most 
cases  feeling  a  sense  of  degradation  in  thus  personally  solicit- 
ing patronage,  and  also  being  unwilling  to  submit  himself  to 
the  mortification  of  a  contemptuous  refusal  when  by  accident 
he  addressed  some  strict  enemy  of  the  stage,  and  the  patron 
himself  not  always  being  willing  to  compete  with  others  in 
the  purchase  of  tickets.  Douglass's  company  dropped  the 
custom  at  an  early  period  ;  for,  at  the  foot  of  a  bill  announc- 
ing the  benefit  of  Mrs.  Douglass  in  February,  1762,  we  find 
this  paragraph  : 

"  The  ceremony  of  waiting  on  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  their  houses 
with  bills  has  been  for  some  time  left  off  in  this  company;  the  frequent 
solicitations  on  these  occasions  having  been  found  rather  an  inconven- 
ience to  the  persons  so  waited  on  than  a  compliment." 

The  manager  always  travelled  with  a  "character"  from 
the  governors  of  the  respective  colonies,  in  the  manner  of  the 


1 8  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

old  companies  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  and  after  he 
had  gained  entrance  to  a  town,  he  seldom  dared  openly  to 
advertise  plays,  but  substituted  less  objectionable  terms,  as 
has  been  previously  stated. 

Mr.  Douglass  never  again  attempted  to  establish  the  drama 
in  New  England  ;  but  in  a  few  years  after  his  departure 
another  manager  contemplated  visiting  Rhode  Island,  as  will 
appear  from  the  following  letter  received  by  Governor 
Ward,  and  now  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  : 

North  Carolina,  Brunswick, 
the  15th  of  June,  1768. 

Sir:  Mr.  Mills,  who  is  the  manager  of  a  company  of  comedians,  in- 
tends to  solicit  your  permission  to  act  in  some  parts  of  your  Government. 
He  has  therefore  entreated  me  to  mention  their  behaviour  during  their 
stay  here  of  six  months,  which,  as  far  as  I  have  understood,  has  been 
decent,  orderly,  and  proper. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  Wm.  Gryon." 
"  Governor  Ward." 

These  comedians  never  came  to  Providence,  probably  be- 
cause Governor  Ward  advised  them  of  the  existence  of  the 
statute  prohibiting  theatrical  entertainments.1 

1  It  has  been  said  that  dramatic  performances  took  place  in  Newport  in  1767,  but  the  re- 
port is  untrue.  The  facts  are  as  follows  :  On  the  26th  of  August,  1767,  the  brig  Dolphin, 
John  Malborn,  master,  from  Jamaica,  with  a  cargo  of  rum  ancl  sugar  was  destroyed  by  tire 
off  Block  Island.  On  board  this  vessel  were  John  Henry,  his  wife,  and  seven  or  eight  other 
actors  as  passengers,  five  of  whom  were  burned  to  death.  The  survivors  landed  at  Newport, 
and  contributions  for  their  aid  were  taken  up  the  ensuing  Sunday  by  the  several  religious 
societies;  after  which  they  removed  to  New  York,  where  Henry  made  his  first  appearance 
on  the  American  stage  in  the  following  December. 


CHAPTER    III. 

1790-1795. 

Return  of  the  actors  after  the  Revolution— In  1790  the  petition 
of  Hallam  and  Henry  to  open  a  theatre  in  Boston  denied— 
Joseph  Harper,  attempting  to  give  a  theatrical  exhibition 
there  in  1792,  is  arrested— he  visits  providence  with  a  com- 
PANY of  actors— Public  sentiment  favorable  to  a  theatre- 
Action  OF  THE  TOWN  COUNCIL— PL  A.  YS  ENACTED  IN  THE  COURT  HOUSE 

—The  town  council  of  Newport  licenses  a  play-house  by  per- 
mission of  the  General  Assembly— Another  company  performs 
several  nights  in  providence— the  coffee  house  theatre— the 
Bill  of  the  Play— Efforts  to  establish  a  permanent  theatre- 
Description  OF  THE  NEW  THEATRE. 

AT  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  players  returned,  and 
performed  successively  in  Philadelphia,  New  York, 
Baltimore,  and  elsewhere  in  the  South.  Henry  went 
to  England,  and  came  back  with  reinforcement  for  his  com- 
pany. In  1790,  he  and  his  partner,  Hallam,  petitioned  for 
leave  to  open  a  theatre  under  proper  regulations  in  Boston, 
which  application  was  refused.  The  next  year  a  petition, 
signed  by  many  literary  gentlemen  of  the  town,  setting  forth 
the  advantages  of  well-regulated  public  amusements,  was  pre- 
sented to  the  selectmen,  requesting  them  to  take  the  opinion 
of  the  inhabitants  on  the  subject  of  permitting  a  theatre  in 
the  town  of  Boston,  and  on  instructing  their  representa- 
tives to  obtain  a  repeal  of  the  prohibitory  law.  The  subject 
was  debated  in  town-meeting,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  draw  up  instructions  to  the  representatives.  The  instruc- 
tions state  that  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  consider  the  pro- 
hibitory law  of  1750  an  infringement  of  their  privileges,  and 
that  a  theatre,  where  the  actions  of  great  and  virtuous  men 
are  represented,  will  advance  the  interests  of  private  and  po- 
litical virtue,  and  for  such  reasons  instruct  their  representa- 
tives to  obtain  a  repeal  of  the  law,  so  as  to   permit  theatrical 


20  HISTORY    OF    THE 

representations,  sanctioned  by  some  authority  appointed  for 
that  purpose.  In  January,  1792,  the  subject  was  introduced 
into  the  House  of  Representatives,  but  the  strenuous  efforts 
of  the  friends  of  the  drama  could  not  effect  the  repeal  of 
the  law.  The  principal  advocates  of  the  repeal  were 
William  Tudor,  Dr.  Charles  Jarvis,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Gardiner  ; 
the  opponents  were  Samuel  Adams  and  Benjamin  Austin, 
the  latter  of  whom  wrote  a  series  of  essays  to  prove  that 
Sliakspeare  had  no  genius  ! 

Nothwithstanding  the  result  of  the  debate  in  the  legislature, 
Mr.  Joseph  Harper,  oneof  the  prominent  members  of  Hallam 
and  Henry's  company,  by  the  advice  and  assistance  of  several 
influential  citizens,  opened  a  convenient  theatre,  where  he 
gave  exhibitions  in  August,  1792.  The  government  officials 
deemed  this  conduct  an  open  insult  to  the  laws,  and  a  defi- 
ance to  themselves  ;  and  Governor  Hancock,  who  was  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  stage,  in  his  annual  message,  in  November, 
to  the  Legislature,  called  their  attention  to  the  fact  that  act- 
ors were  daily  violating  the  statutes,  and  enacting  plays 
under  the  transparent  disguise  of  "  Moral  Dialogues,"  or 
"  Lectures,"  and  recommended  such  action  as  would  bring 
the  offenders  to  condign  punishment.  The  Legislature,  con- 
curring with  the  views  of  the  Governor,  promised  him  that  they 
would  adopt  such  measures  as  might  be  necessary  to  give 
effect  to  the  law.  They  however  passed  no  additional  acts  ; 
but  the  State  officials  in  Boston  were  incited  to  increased 
activity,  and,  on  the  5th  of  December,  Mr.  Harper  was  ar- 
rested. At  the  end  of  the  second  act  of  the  "  School  for 
Scandal,"  he  came  upon  the  stage  and  informed  the  audience 
of  his  arrest,  and  read  a  card  from  the  sheriff,  threatening  to 
arrest  the  whole  company  unless  the  performance  ceased. 
The  audience  were  much  agitated,  but,  at  the  request  of  the 
performers,  quietly  retired,  refusing  to  receive  back  the  ad- 
mission money.  Mr.  Harper  was  brought  before  the  Court 
on  the  next  day,  but  was  soon  discharged  from  custody  on 
motion  of  his  counsel,  because  the  complaint  had  not  been 
grounded  on  an  oath.  He  immediately  proceeded  to  perform 
plays  as  before,  but  was  stopped  by  a  second  warrant,  executed 
during  the  performance,  which  so  incensed  the  spectators  that 
they  pulled  down  the  painting  of  the  State  arms,  but  were  at 
length  quieted  by  Judge  Tudor. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  2  1 

Mr.  Harper  now  found  that  he  could  not  continue  in  Bos- 
ton, and  therefore  decided  to  remove  to  Providence.  He  was 
aware  that,  although  the  law  against  theatrical  entertain- 
ments had  not  been  repealed,  public  opinion  in  Rhode  Island 
condemned  its  severity,  and  reprehended  the  spirit  of  its 
framers.  He  at  once  came  with  his  company  to  Providence, 
but  did  not  proceed  to  acting  until  he  had  consulted  the 
principal  citizens,  and  learned  their  views. 

Much  interest  was  taken  in  the  movements  of  the  players, 
and  numerous  communications  on  the  subject  were  sent  to 
the  Providence  Gazette,  one  or  two  condemning  the  insolence 
of  the  comedians  in  entering  the  State,  but  the  greater 
number  advising  tolerance.  One  of  each  kind  is  here  pre- 
sented. 

The  first  correspondent  says,  that 

"  He  has  heard  with  pleasure  of  the  virtuous  and  patriotic  exertions  of 
Governor  Hancock,  in  suppressing  the  progress  of  a  company  of  strolling 
stage-players,  who  were  in  actual  violation  of  the  laws  of  Massachusetts, 
but  that  it  is  with  concern  he  hears  that  the  same  company  are  now  in 
town  endeavoring  to  induce  the  citizens  to  establish  them  here,  in  viola- 
tion of  a  good  and  wholesome  law  of  the  State,  which  lays  a  fine  of  £100 
lawful  money  upon  the  person  found  in  transgression  thereof,  recover- 
able by  any  person  who  may  sue  for  the  same,  either  at  a  special  court,  or 
Court  of  Common  Pleas.  This  information  is  given  as  a  caution  against 
their  further  proceeding  to  violate  the  said  law.  The  civility  shown  by 
the  Town  Council  in  suffering  them  to  reside  in  the  town  so  long  as  they 
live  in  obedence  to  the  law,  is  consistent  with  the  liberal  policy  which  has 
characterized  the  State.  But  there  are  bounds,  and  it  is  hoped  that  none 
will  go  beyond  them  by  giving  offence  to  the  law." 

A  writer  friendly  to  the  stage  in  his  communication,  after 
intimating  that  Governor  Hancock  was  influenced  by  politi- 
cal motives,  thus  continues  : 

"  Permanent  good  frequently  flows  from  partial  evil,  and  it  will  not  be 
forgotten  that  the  banishment  of  the  benevolent  Roger  Williams  laid  a 
foundation  for  the  settlement  of  this  State.  The  interests  of  religion 
and  virtue  should  certainly  be  our  first  care,  but  a  theatre  under  proper 
regulations,  it  is  humbly  presumed,  would  not  prove  incompatible  with 
this  object.  In  the  old  world,  time  out  of  mind,  the  drama  has  been  coun- 
tenanced by  the  wise  and  the  good,  and  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States  theatres  have  been  licensed.  Let  us  not  then  suppose  that  all 
wisdom  and  virtue  is  confined  to  New  England,  or  that  religion  consists 
altogether  in  austerity.  The  law  of  this  State  passed  against  Stage-plays 
was  confessedly  passed  at  a  time  when  parties  ran  high,  and  was  probably 
founded  on  sinister  views.  That  it  may  be  repealed  is  the  wish  of  numer- 
ous friends  to  this  town  as  well  as  to  the  State  at  large,  and  of  every 
friend  to  rational  and  innocent  amusements." 


2  2  HISTORY    OF    THE 

These  sentiments  accorded  with  those  of  the  editor,  who 
appended  to  them  the  following  remarks  : 

"  The  comedians  referred  to  are  said  to  be  a  set  ot  decent,  orderly 
people,  and  respectable  in  their  profession.  So  far  as  has  been  observed 
of  them  here,  they  are  remarkably  temperate,  studious,  and  engaging  in 
their  manners." 

In  a  few  days  the  comedians  had  assured  themselves  that 
they  had  the  good  will  of  the  more  influential  of  the  citizens, 
and  prepared  to  give  entertainments.  On  the  ioth  of  De- 
cember the  town  council  voted  to  grant  them  such  liberty  of 
giving  theatrical  exhibitions  as  was  in  their  power  to  grant, 
namely  :  that  the  council  would  not  prosecute  the  performers, 
or  support  any  person  who  should  on  his  own  account  begin 
such  a  prosecution  ;  on  condition  that  the  proceeds  of  the 
sales  of  tickets  on  every  fifth  night  should  be  collected  by 
the  town  sergeant,  and  by  him  be  paid  into  the  town  treasury. 
So  far  were  the  authorities  from  being  opposed  to  the  desires 
of  the  actors,  that  Mr.  Harper  obtained  the  Court  House  for 
the  place  of  exhibition,  and,  converting  it  into  a  temporary 
theatre,  produced  several  comedies  and  farces,  and  also  a 
pantomime,  called  "The  Birth,  Death,  and  Animation  of 
Harlequin." 

The  novelty  of  the  entertainments,  and  the  favor  with 
which  the  players  were  regarded,  ensured  for  them  good 
houses  for  every  performance.  On  one  occasion  a  party  of 
visitors  from  Pawtuxet  came  to  town  to  attend  the  play,  and 
attempted  to  gain  admission  to  the  Court  House,  but  the 
crowd  within  was  so  dense,  that  they  were  obliged  to  return 
home  ungratified.  Tickets  were  sold  at  half  a  dollar  apiece, 
and  were  obtainable  at  Dixon's  stage  office,  and  at  the  print- 
ing-office in  the  Market  House  chambers. 

Even  at  this  late  date  the  comedians  dared  not  announce 
the  performance  of  plays,  but  still  adhered  to  the  term,  "  lec- 
tures." The  comedies  were  usually  designated  as  comic  lec- 
tures, tragedies  as  moral  lectures,  and  farces  as  humorous  or 
entertaining  lectures ;  but  there  was  no  disguise  for  the 
pantomime.  The  performance  began  at  an  early  hour,  the 
door  being  open  at  five,  and  the  curtain  rising  at  six  o'clock. 

Mr.  Harper  met  with  so  much  encouragement  this  season 
that  he  would  gladly  have  protracted  his  visit,  but,  as  he  had 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  2$ 

made  engagements  to  be  in  Philadelphia  some  time  in  Janu- 
ary, he  was  obliged  to  take  leave  of  the  town.  In  the  month 
of  February  a  small  company,  under  the  management  of 
Messrs.  Solomons  and  Murray,  inferior  actors  who  were  sub- 
sequently employed  in  Boston  by  Mr.  Harper,  obtained  per- 
mission to  give  three  theatrical  exhibitions  on  condition  of 
paying  to  the  town  sergeant  for  the  use  of  the  poor,  three- 
fourths  of  the  proceeds  of  the  tickets  of  the  first  evening. 
These  performances  met  with  but  little  encouragement,  be- 
ing destitute  of  merit. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  the  prohibitory  law  had  become 
unpopular  ;  and  one  is  not  surprised  to  learn  that,  at  the  Feb- 
ruary session  of  the  General  Assembly  the  town  council  of 
Newport  were  empowered  to  grant  licenses  for  theatrical  en- 
tertainments, notwithstanding  any  law,  custom  or  usage  to 
the  contrary,  provided  that  the  State  House  in  that  town 
should  not  be  used  for  that  purpose. 

Mr.  Harper  gave  no  representations  in  Providence  during 
the  year  1793,  as  he  profited  by  the  permission  of  the  legis- 
lature, and  played  in  Newport.  He  however  was  not  un- 
mindful of  his  Providence  friends,  as  will  appear  from  the 
following  advertisement  inserted  in  the  United  States  Chron- 
icle, of  June  13th  : 

"  Messieurs  J.  Harper  and  H.  Placide  respectfully  acquaint  the  public  that 
hv  the  middle  of  this  month  they  will  open  a  theatre  in  Newport,  in  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island,  wherein  will  be  represented  all  the  theatrical  en- 
tertainments to  be  seen  in  America.  The  theatre  is  a  large  brick  building, 
and  will  be  elegantly  furnished.  It  will  be  open  from  the  middle  of  June 
to  October." 

The  theatre  thus  referred  to  was  the  brick  market,  which 
was  built  in  1762  by  the  town  of  Newport,  from  proceeds 
of  lotteries  granted  for  that  purpose  by  the  General  As- 
sembly, on  a  lot  given  to  the  town  by  the  proprietors  of  Long 
Wharf.  It  was  three  stories  high,  sixty-five  feet  long  by 
thirty-three  feet  broad,  and  was  intended  for  a  public  granary, 
but  was  never  used  for  that  purpose.  Before  the  Revolution 
the  lower  story  was  occupied  as  a  market,  and  the  second  and 
third  stories  were  used  for  shops  and  offices.  After  the 
Revolution  the  upper  stories  were  used  as  a  printing-office 
until  1793,  when  they  were  leased  by  the  town  to  Alexander 
Placide,  and    by    him    converted    into    a    play-house.1     This 

1  \>  w  port  Mercury, 


24  HISTORY    OF    THE 

theatre  was  occupied  by  various  companies  of  actors  at  dif- 
ferent intervals  of  time,  until  1842,  when  it  was  altered  into  a 
town  hall. 

When  Mr.  Harper  returned  to  Providence  in  1794,  he 
found  that  his  friends  were  exerting  themselves  to  provide 
him  with  better  accommodations  than  the  Court  House  had 
afforded  him  two  years  before,  and  were  about  to  prepare  a 
place  of  entertainment  having  some  semblance  to  a  theatre. 
Before  these  arrangements  were  completed,  several  members 
of  his  company  gave  exhibitions  for  their  own  benefit  in  the 
public  halls.  At  the  end  of  December  the  theatre  was  ready 
for  opening.  It  had  been  fitted  up  behind  Major  McLane's 
Coffee  House,  but  formed  part  of  the  same  building,  which, 
long  known  as  the  "  Old  Coffee  House,"  was  destroyed  about 
1855  to  make  room  for  the  Bank  of  Commerce  building  and 
the  adjoining  edifice.  The  addition  used  as  a  theatre  had 
been  pulled  down  long  before.  The  entrance  to  the  boxes 
was  at  the  first  door  east  of  the  Coffee  House  ;  and  that  to 
the  gallery  was  at  the  north  end  of  the  building.  The  open- 
ing performance  took  place  December  30,  1794.  A  copy  of 
the  first  bill  is  here  presented  : 

"  By  authority."1 
"THEATRE,     PROVIDENCE. 

"Mr.  Harper  most  respectfully  informs  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  this 
town  that  the  new  theatre  will  be  opened  on  Thursday  evening  next,  30th 
December,  with  a  Comedy  called 

THE    FOUNDLING,    OR    VIRTUE    REWARDED. 

Sir  Charles  Raymond,  -  -  Mr.  Kenna. 

Sir  Robert  Belmont,  ....      Mr.  Clapham. 

Col.  Raymond,  -  -  Mr.  Copeland. 

Young  Belmont,  -  -  -      Mr.  Harper. 

Faddle,  -  Mr.  Watts. 

Rosetta,  -      Mrs.  Metchler. 

Fidelia,  -  -  -  -  Mrs.  Harper. 

To  which  will  be  added  an  entertainment  called 
THE    KING    AND    THE    MILLER    OF    MANSFIELD. 

King  Henry,  ....  Mr.   Watts. 

Lord  Lurewell,  ...  -  Mr.  Copeland. 

The  Miller,  .....  Mr.  Kenna. 

Dick,  (the  Miller's  man),         ...  Mr.  Harper. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  25 

Joe,  with  a  song  in  character,      ...  Mr.  Clapham. 

Peggv,  -  -  -  -  Mrs.  Harper. 

Margery,  .....  Mrs.  Metchler. 

Kate,  -----  Mrs.  Watts. 

"  Tickets  to  be  had  at  the  Post  office;  and  places  in  the  boxes  may  be 
taken  at  the  bar  of  the  Coffee  House  every  day  of  the  performance  from  9  to 
12  a   m.,  and  from  2  to  6  p.  m. 

"The  doors  will  be  opened  at  5  o'clock,  and  the  performance  will  begin 
precisely  at  6  o'clock. 

"  Boxes,  65. ;   Pit,  3s. ;  Gallery,  25.  3d." 

At  first  the  curtain  rose  at  six  o'clock,  but  that  hour  being 
found  too  early  it  was  soon  changed  to  six  and  a  half.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  bill  it  was  recommended  that  those  who 
wished  to  secure  particular  boxes  should  send  their  servants 
at  a  quarter  before  five  o'clock. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  American  stage  the  term  "come- 
dian "  had  not  the  restricted  signification  which  is  now 
assigned  to  it.  Comedians  performed  every  season  with 
equal  success  tragedy,  comedy,  melodrama,  opera,  farce,  and 
pantomime.  It  was  expected  in  every  theatre  that  all  the 
performers  should  be  able  to  sing,  and  there  was  no  company 
of  respectability  that  could  not  perform  the  old  English 
operas.  The  comedies  which  were  most  approved  in  1795 
would  not  be  tolerated  at  the  present  day  upon  the  stage.  In 
the  Spring  of  that  year  several  plays  of  such  objectionable 
character  that  they  have  long  since  been  shelved  were  re- 
ceived with  general  approbation  ;  such  as  "  Barnaby  Brittle," 
"Provoked  Wife,"  "Deuce  is  in  Him,"  "Devil  to  Pay," 
"  Beaux  Stratagem,"  and  "  The  Beggar's  Opera,"  which  was 
produced  with  additions  and  alterations  April  13th,  being  the 
last  night  of  the  season,  when  Mr.  Harper  personated  Cap- 
tain Machcath,  and  Mrs.  Harper,  Polly. 

The  next  day,  April  14th,  a  meeting  of  gentlemen  interested 
in  the  permanent  establishment  of  the  stage  in  the  town  was 
held  at  McLane's  Coffee  House,  and  subscriptions  for  a  new 
theatre  were  so  liberally  promised  that  a  building  committee 
was  immediately  appointed  to  make  the  necessary  contracts, 
with  the  understanding  that  the  work  was  to  be  completed  at 
Commencement  time.  John  Brown  gave  the  lot  and  sub- 
scribed for  seven  shares  of  stock.  Messrs.  T.  L.  Halsey,  Sr., 
John  Corliss,  Cyprian  Sterry,  and  George  and  Jeremiah 
Olney  were  also  liberal  in  their  subscriptions.     As  soon  as  a 


26  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

sum  sufficient  for  the  completion  of  the  building  had  been 
guaranteed  workmen  began  to  prepare  the  frame,  and  on 
Thursday,  Aug.  6,  1795,  commenced  raising  the  edifice.  The 
work  was  pushed  forward  with  energy,  and  when  it  seemed 
doubtful  whether  it  would  be  possible  to  have  it  ready  for 
use  at  the  time  proposed,  the  prospect  was  at  once  bright- 
ened by  a  demonstration  of  good  will  from  a  quarter  where  it 
was  scarcely  looked  for.  All  the  carpenters  of  the  town, 
clubbing  together,  formed  a  "bee,"  and,  abandoningall  other 
employments,  labored  without  fee  or  reward  upon  the  edifice 
until  the  opening  night.  As  the  work  progressed  the  town 
was  on  tiptoe  with  expectation,  and  such  was  the  general 
good  feeling  prevailing  that  it  was  manifest  that  the  drama 
was  to  become  a  permanent  institution. 

This  theatre  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  Westminster 
and  Mathewson  streets,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Grace 
Church.  It  was  eighty-one  feet  long  by  fifty  feet  wide,  front- 
ing on  Westminster  street.  Access  to  the  interior  was 
gained  by  three  doors  in  front  ;  the  entrance  to  the  boxes 
being  in  the  middle,  that  to  the  pit  on  the  East,  and  that  to 
the  gallery  on  the  West  side.  Over  the  middle  door  was 
suspended  a  light  wooden  canopy,  which  served  both  for  or- 
nament and  for  a  protection  from  rains.  The  theatre  con- 
tained two  tiers  of  boxes,  a  gallery,  and  a  pit.  The  pro- 
scenium was  sixteen  feet  high  by  twenty-four  wide  ;  and  over 
the  arch  was  a  scroll  bearing  the  motto  :  "  Pleasure  the 
means  ;  the  end  virtue,"  a  pithy  sentiment  worthy  of  adoption 
by  every  theatrical  manager.  The  few  scenes  that  were  pre- 
pared were  tolerably  good  ;  but  as  no  act  drop  was  painted, 
the  traditional  green  curtain  was  obliged  to  serve  a  double 
purpose. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

1795-1810. 

The  opening  of  the  new  theatre— the  prologue— The  Company — 
"  George  Barnwell  "—Mr.  Villiers — "Bunker  Hill  "— Hodgkin- 
son— Mrs.  Whitlock— "  The  Stranger  "—German  plays  in  vogue 
—Aaron  Burr  attends  the  theatre— Phantasmagoria— Reap- 
pearance of  Hodgkinson— His  death— The  tragedian  Cooper — 
Anachronisms  in  Costume— Bates's  benefits— Newspaper  criti- 
cisms—Anecdote OF   AMATEUR   THEATRICALS— PROLOGUE   BY   PAUL 

Allen— John  Hoavard  Payne— Termination  of  Mr.  Harper's 
Management— Theatrical  customs— Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper- 
William  Bates— Anecdote— Newspaper  strictures  on  the  im- 
morality OF  THE  THEATRE— MR.   AND  MRS.  DARLEY. 

THE  efforts  to  have  the  new  theatre  ready  for  Com- 
mencement-Day were  so  far  successful  that  Mr.  Harper 
advertised  a  dramatic  performance  for  the  second  of 
September,  but  as  all  the  requisite  arrangements  could  not 
be  completed  in  time  for  opening  it  on  that  day,  the  in- 
augural performance  was  deferred  until  the  next  evening, 
when  to  an  interested  audience  were  acted  with  eclat,  "The 
Child  of  Nature,"  and  "  Rosina,  or  the  Reapers."  Preceding 
the  comedy  an  occasional  address  was  pronounced  by  the 
manager,  a  copy  of  which  has  been  preserved,  and  is  here 
presented.  It  is  unknown  who  was  its  author,  but  the  pre- 
sumption is,  that  it  was  written  either  by  Paul  Allen,  or  Miss 
Ann  Maria  Thayer,  both  residents  of  Providence,  and  known 
to  have  had  commerce  with  the  Muses : 

PROLOGUE. 

"  The  eve  contemplating  this  simple  dome  ' 

Views  not  the  art  of  Greece,  the  wealth  of  Rome ; 
Nor  towering  arch,  nor  roof  of  vast  design. 
Which  prove  the  virtues  of  the  Parian  mine; 
Nor  Painting's  touch,  nor  Sculpture's  breathing  mould, 
Nor  Life  enchased  in  elephant  and  gold. 


28  HISTORY    OF    THE 

It  boasts  them  not;  alas,  it  boasts  alone 
The  wish  to  please — and  let  that  wish  atone. 
Ye  fair,  who  deign  our  efforts  to  repay, 
Ye  give  its  honours,  and  ye  take  away. 

"  Here  to  your  eyes  we  hold  the  mirror  true, 
Here  pass  your  virtues  in  their  bright  review. 
Nor  cold  reproof,  nor  satire's  caustic  smart 
Can  crimson  Virtue's  cheek,  or  chill  her  heart. 
Laugh  then  secure,  or  yield  to  Pity's  call; 
The  strokes  of  censure  on  the  guilty  fall. 
Here  view  yourselves,  nor  fear  t'  applaud  the  scene, 
Live  o'er  your  lives,  and  be  what  ye  have  been, 
Give  to  th'  unbidden  tear  its  generous  flow,— 
Not  more  can  Pity  give  to  fancied  woe ; 
Nor  fear  that  hid  beneath  the  mimic  guise 
Vice  waits  her  victim  with  impatient  eyes. 
Here  shall  ye  learn  with  purity  of  heart 
To  meet  the  artful  in  the  fields  of  art. 
The  eye  which  beams  intelligence  and  love 
Shall  learn  to  blend  the  serpent  with  the  dove, 
The  righteous  claim  of  bashful  worth  to  scan, 
And  well  discern  the  coxcomb  from  the  man. 

"  In  ancient  days  when  Rome  could  boast  her  name, 
When  Scipio  fought,  and  Terence  wrote  for  fame, 
Ere  taste,  or  genuine  wit  were  forced  to  yield, 
And  low  buffoonery  had  usurped  the  field, 
The  Roman  stage  was  Virtue's  primal  school. 
There  heroes  learned  to  conquer  and  to  rule, 
And  (while  they  wept  as  mimic  woes  were  shown) 
To  feel  for  others',  and  t'  endure  their  own. 
Nor  did  the  jest,  ambiguous  and  obscene, 
Disturb  the  cheek  of  Innocence  serene  — 
But  Nature's  mother-wit,  sublime  and  chaste, 
Met  the  full  voice  of  Modesty  and  Taste. 
If  such  the  manners  of  the  Roman  age, 
Such  must  delight  when  Yankees  seek  the  stage. 
See  a  new  Rome  in  western  forests  rise. 
Her  manners  simple,  and  her  maxims  wise, 
These  t'  improve,  to  cherish  fresh  and  fair 
Shall  be  our  best  reward,  our  only  care. 
This  humble  house,  its  office  so  divine, 
With  more  than  all  Yitruvius'  art  shall  shine. 
Enough  for  us,  we  rest  secure  the  while 
Of  Virtue's  plaudit,  and  of  Beauty's  smile." 

The  company  was  larger  and  possessed  more  talent  than 
that  of  the  previous  year  ;  for  the  old  American  company 
having  divided,  Hodgkinson  had  led  part  of  it  to  Hartford, 
where  he  opened  a  theatre  in  August,  1795,  while  Hallam 
added  the  remainder  to  the  company  under  the  management 
of  Harper,  and  came  to  Providence.     Thus  reinforced,  it  con- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  29 

tained  Messrs.  Hallam,  Harper,  Patterson,  Prigmore,  Hallam, 
Jr.,  Wools,  Miller,  Copelancl,  Tompkins,  and  Humphries,  and 
Mesdames  Hallam,  Metchler,  Harper,  and  Kenna, — a  number 
sufficiently  large  to  perform  with  success  a  few  standard 
comedies,  but  in  those  containing  numerous  dramatis  personce 
deficiencies  were  supplied  by  what  is  technically  called 
"doubling."  It  may  be  truly  said  that  in  the  early  days  of 
the  American  stage,  "one  man  in  his  time  played  many 
parts,"  frequently  sustaining  two  or  three  of  the  lesser 
characters  in  the  same  play,  and  that,  too,  aided  by  changes 
of  dress,  so  skilfully  that  audiences  seldom  had  suspicions 
of  the  variety  of  shapes  taken  by  these  Protean  performers. 

On  the  7th  of  this  month  the  tragedy  of  "  Percy  and 
Elwina"  was  performed.  A  correspondent  of  the  United 
States  Chronicle  thus  describes  its  effect  upon  himself  : 

"Mr.  Printer:  I  attended  the  theatre  on  Monday  evening  last,  and 
cannot  help  saying  a  few  words  on  the  subject  of  the  performance.  It  ap- 
pears to  me  that  the  tragedy  of  "  Percy  and  Elwina,"  is  filled  with  excel- 
lent sentiments,  and  the  public  exhibition  of  it  must  be  useful.  The  com- 
pany of  comedians,  I  think,  did  themselves  great  honour.  I  was  partic- 
ularly pleased  with  the  gentleman  who  did  the  part  of  Douglas;  he  acted 
a  jealous  madman  to  the  life.  Old  Lord  Raby  did  the  distressed  father 
beyond  anything  I  had  any  idea  of.  I  could  not  help  crying  with  him. 
The  part  of  Percy  I  was  much  delighted  with,  but  Elwina,  poor  girl,  I 
shall  not  forget  you  as  long  as  I  live. 

"  Yours,  Z." 

To  the  bills  was  appended  the  following  notice  : 

"Tickets  and  places  for  the  boxes  to  be  had  at  the  theatre,  of  Mr.  Cope- 
land,  every  da_y  of  performance,  from  9  to  12  a.  m.,  and  from  3  to  9  P. 
m.  As  the  door-keepers  are  prohibited  in  the  strictest  manner  from  tak- 
ing money  at  the  door,  it  is  hoped  that  every  visitor  of  the  theatre  will 
provide  himself  with  tickets. 

"  The  doors  will  be  opened  at  6,  and  the  performances  will  begin  at 
7  o'clock. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen  are  requested  to  send  their  servants  by  half 
past  5  at  farthest,  to  keep  places  in  the  boxes. 

"Boxes,  1  dollar:  Pit,  J  dollar;  Gallery,  two  and  three  pence. 

"  Nights  of  performance,  Mondays,  Wednesdays  and  Fridays." 

The  theatre  closed  November  2d,  when  Harper's  com- 
pany again  united  with  Hodgkinson's  and  went  to  Boston. 

The  tragedy  of  "George  Barnwell"  was  produced  the  next 
season,  and  through  the  whole  time  of  Mr.  Harper's  manage- 


30  HISTORY    OF    THE 

merit,  and  that  of  the  gentleman  immediately  succeeding  him, 
it  continued  to  be  performed  at  least  once  every  winter,  by 
reason  of  the  moral  influence  it  was  supposed  to  exert  over 
the  minds  of  youth.  It  soon  became  repulsive  to  many  who 
witnessed  its  performance,  but  nevertheless  the  managers, 
firmly  convinced  of  its  value,  were  unwilling  to  lay  it  aside, 
and  persisted  in  administering  the  nauseous  dose. 

The  prevalence  of  the  yellow  fever,  and  other  causes  made 
the  season  of  1797  a  broken  one.  The  chief  performers  in 
tragedy  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barrett,  both  of  stately  appear- 
ance, but  the  lady  superior  in  point  of  talent.  The  low 
comedian,  admired  by  all  who  could  relish  genuine  humor, 
was  Mr.  Villiers,  a  young  gentleman  of  education,  who  had 
left  good  connections  in  England  to  become  a  player  in 
America,  assuming  the  name  of  Villiers  for  family  reasons. 

In  November  for  Mr.  Barrett's  benefit  was  produced  for 
the  first  time  in  Providence,  the  new  tragedy  of  "  Bunker 
Hill,"  a  miserable  compound  of  fustian,  which  had  proved 
very  remunerative  to  the  theatrical  treasury  in  Boston.  It 
was  well  received  here,  and  the  company  then  left  town,  to 
produce  it  in  Newport.  Miserable  as  the  play  was,  it  sur- 
vived many  dramas  superior  to  it  in  every  respect,  and  was 
often  brought  out  on  the  fourth  of  July  in  New  England 
cities  for  the  benefit  of  visitors  from  the  rural  districts.  It 
has  a  history  of  its  own.  It  was  written  when  politicians 
indulged  in  party  feelings  with  a  virulence  now  unknown, 
and  which  was  wont  to  seek  expression  at  the  theatre.  The 
design  of  the  author  was  to  gratify  the  animosities  of  the 
anti-federalist  portion  of  the  public,  and  it  was  originally  pro- 
duced in  Boston  at  a  theatre  raised  by  democratic  subscrip- 
tions for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  democratic  drama.1  A 
good  conception  of  the  character  of  this  play  is  afforded  by  a 
brief  criticism  which  President  Adams  is  said  to  have  made 
upon  it  in  New  York.  He  happened  to  be  in  the  city  when 
this  piece  was  performing  there,  and  was  invited  to  attend. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  entertainment  he  was  conducted  by 
the  manager  and  the  leading  actors  to  his  carriage  with  con- 
siderable pomp,  and  Mr.  Barrett,  who  had  played  General 
Warren,  ventured  to  express  a  hope  that  the  President  had 
been  pleased, — "  Sir,"  replied  Mr.  Adams,  "  my  friend,  Gen- 

1  Bernard. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  3  I 

eral  Warren,  was  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar,  but  your  author 
has  made  him  a  bully  and  a  blackguard."1 

This  season  Mr.  Harper  found  it  necessary  to  reduce  the 
price  of  admission  to  the  pit  to  fifty  cents,  and  to  the  gallery 
to  twenty-five  cents. 

The  season  of  1798  was  short  but  brilliant;  for  the  cele- 
brated actor,  Hodgkinson,  came  here  with  the  Boston  com- 
pany, and  played  several  nights  near  Commencement.  In 
this  company  were  Mr.  Dickenson,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S. 
Powell,  who  afterwards  became  established  favorites  as  ar- 
tists with  the  citizens  of  Providence,  and  who  as  individuals 
were  worthy  of  the  general  esteem  in  which  they  were  held 
by  their  contemporaries. 

This  year  the  statute  against  theatrical  representations  was 
repealed.  A  committee,  previously  appointed  by  the  General 
Assembly  to  revise  the  laws  of  the  State,  and  to  make  such 
amendments  and  alterations  as  might  appear  to  them  useful, 
reported  the  result  of  their  labors,  which,  being  ratified  by 
the  Legislature,  was  at  once  printed,  and  is  now  known  as 
the  Digest  of  1798.  In  this  revision  the  statute  does  not 
appear. 

The  great  event  of  the  next  year  was  the  appearance  of 
Mrs.  Whitlock,  sister  of  the  celebrated  Mrs.  Siddons.  She 
opened  the  fourth  of  July  in  the  character  of  Isabella.  Her 
fine  acting  was  appreciated  as  it  merited,  and  attracted  large 
audiences.  The  "  Castle  Spectre  "  drew  two  full  houses,  and 
the  "  Stranger,"  produced  for  the  first  time  in  Providence, 
was  much  admired. 

Mrs.  Whitlock  was  the  sister  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  John 
Philip  Kemble,  Stephen  Kemble,  and  Charles  Kemble.  She 
was  an  admirable  actress,  who  had  established  a  good  reputa- 
tation  at  Drury  Lane,  had  played  at  Bath,  and  after  her  mar- 
riage with  Mr.  Whitlock  had  acted  under  the  management  of 
Whitlock  and  Munden  in  the  provincial  theatres,  being  the 
main  support  of  the  company.  In  features  she  resembled  the 
Kembles,  but  her  complexion  was  fairer,  and  she  had  not 
their  imposing  stature.  Her  eyes  were  very  expressive,  and 
her  voice  was  powerful,  and  reminding  the  spectator  of  her 
eminent  sister,  sometimes  raised  expectations,  which  were 
not  fully  realized,  of  seeing  a  second  Siddons.2 

2  Clapp's  Record  of  the  Boston  Stage.  2  Dunlap. 


3* 


HISTORY     OF    THE 


During  the  years  1 800-1  the  plays  most  in  vogue  were 
translations  from  the  German.  Baron  Kotzebue's  dramas 
were  exceedingly  popular  in  Germany  and  England,  and  be- 
came models  for  the  dramatic  writers  of  the  day.  The 
American  stage  owed  their  introduction  to  Mr.  Dunlap,  who 
was  indefatigable  in  translating  them.  These  plays  have 
long  been  shelved,  as  they  tend  to  the  development  of  mawk- 
ish sentimentality,  and  are  believed  to  lessen  the  abhorrence 
of  vice. 

The  company  that  appeared  at  the  theatre  on  the  27th  of 
June,  1803,  was  almost  entirely  new  to  the  citizens  of  Provi- 
dence. It  contained  Messrs.  Harper,  Darley,  Wilmot,  Dykes, 
Perkins,  Bates,  Coles,  West,  and  Buckingham,  with  Mesdames 
Darley,  Harper,  Dykes  and  Simpson,  and  Miss  Bates.  Per- 
formances were  given  only  twice  a  week.  On  the  7th  of 
July,  "Abaslino,  the  Great  Bandit,"  was  produced,  and  the 
audience  expressed  so  much  satisfaction  that  it  was  repeated. 
It  was  announced  in  the  bills  as  "  the  best  dramatic  work  of 
the  best  dramatic  writer  of  the  age,  Schiller."  This  state- 
ment of  the  authorship  of  the  piece  was  erroneous,  the  play  be- 
ing the  work  of  Zchokke,  a  German  novelist  and  play-writer, 
translated  by  Dunlap,  who  did  not  disclose  the  name  of  the 
author.  It  is  the  original  of  a  great  many  imitations,  some 
of  which  are  now  occasionally  reproduced. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  Aaron  Burr,  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States,  arrived  from  New  York  by  packet,  and  was 
hospitably  entertained  by  his  numerous  friends.  On  the 
28th,  the  "  Point  of  Honour,  or  School  for  Soldiers,"  and  the 
"  Highland  Reel  "  were  played.  The  Vice-President  having 
signified  his  intention  of  visiting  the  theatre,  it  was  an- 
nounced in  the  bills.  A  crowded  audience  was  in  attendance, 
and  enthusiastic  cheers  welcomed  him  on  entering. 

On  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Bates's  benefit,  in  1804,  a  part  of 
the  entertainment  consisted  of  Phantasmagoria,  being  a  dis- 
play of  optical  illusions,  exhibiting  the  following  phantasies  : 
The  March  of  Father  Time  ;  the  King  of  Terrors  ;  a  female 
spirit  rising  from  the  tomb  ;  Ghost  and  Hamlet ;  Washing- 
ton ;  Bonaparte,  etc.  The  newspapers  of  the  day  in  their 
account  of  the  performances  remark  that  the  appearance  of 
the  head  of  Washington  was  hailed  with  rapturous  applause, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  33 

and  "  an  emphatic  hiss  of  contempt  and  detestation  sponta- 
neously rose  to  salute  the  shade  of  the  bloody  usurper  Bona- 
parte, 'a  pompous  wretch,  accursed  upon  a  throne.' ' 

At  the  end  of  July,  1805,  Hodgkinson  arrived  in  town  and 
played  a  few  nights.  On  the  5th  of  August  he  took  his  ben- 
efit, appearing  in  the  tragedy  as  Macbeth  to  Mrs.  Simpson's 
Lady  Macbeth,  and  in  the  afterpiece  as  Lingo.  By  his 
arrangement  with  Mr.  Harper  he  received  no  remuneration 
for  his  acting,  except  on  this  benefit  night,  when  the  entire 
proceeds  became  his.  After  this  performance  he  went  with 
the  company  to  Newport,  and  there  played  his  last  engage- 
ment. He  then  set  out  for  Washington,  but,  as  he  was  pass- 
ing through  New  York,  he  was  taken  with  an  epidemic  fever 
and  died  near  Washington,  the  12th  of  September.  Mr.  Jan- 
sen,  an  English  lawyer,  at  that  time  residing  in  Providence, 
says  that  Hodgkinson  in  his  last  hours  was  attended  by  Mr. 
Hopkins,  one  of  the  performers,  who  soon  after  sickened, 
and  died  of  the  same  disease  that  proved  fatal  to  the  friend 
whom  he  had  nursed. 

Mr.  Hodgkinson  was  much  above  the  common  height,  with 
full  chest,  broad  shoulders  and  erect  carriage.  He  had  great 
versatility  of  talent  and  burned  to  be  admired  as  an  universal 
genius.  Though  many  of  his  admirers  lavished  unbounded 
praise  on  all  his  impersonations,  and  impartial  critics  accused 
him  of  ranting  in  tragedy,  every  one  admitted  that  in  pure 
comedy  he  had  few  equals,  and  that  in  comic  opera  he  could 
not  be  surpassed. 

The  tragedian,  Thomas  A.  Cooper,  appeared  for  the  first 
time  in  Providence  during  the  week  succeeding  Commence- 
ment. On  the  occasion  of  his  benefit  he  played  Otlicllo, 
dressed  in  the  Moorish  costume,  in  which  we  are  accustomed 
to  see  the  Othellos  of  the  present  day  attired.  At  that  time, 
however,  it  was  an  innovation  which  was  violently  assailed 
by  some  critics.  In  1789,  only  fifteen  years  previously, 
Henry  used  to  act  the  part  in  the  uniform  of  a  British  gen- 
eral officer.  Dunlap  saw  John  Philip  Kemble,  in  1786,  "in 
a  suit  of  modern  military  of  scarlet  and  gold  lace,  coat,  waist- 
coat, and  breeches.  He  wore  white  silk  stockings  ;  his  face 
was  black,  and  his  hair  was  worn  in  a  queue."  Garrick  first 
adopted  the  Moorish  dress,  and  was  much  censured  for  so 
doing.     Kemble  introduced  the  use  of  the  turban,  and  many 


34  HISTORY     OF    THE 

patterned  in  this  respect  after  him.  A  critic  of  much  taste 
in  the  Mirror  of  Taste,  a  dramatic  review  published  in  Phila- 
delphia, referring  to  the  new  custom,  asks  whether  Othello 
wears  the  turban  out  of  compliment  to  the  Ottomites  he  is 
sent  to  overthrow,  or  to  the  malignant  and  turbaned  Turk 
who  beat  a  Venetian  and  traduced  the  state  ?  This,  he 
thinks,  is  studying  the  picturesque  with  a  vengeance. 

When  Hodgkinson  played  Macbeth  in  August,  he  was 
habited  in  Scottish  costume,  and  thus  the  character  has 
always  been  played  in  America.  Macklin  changed  the  dress 
from  a  modern  one,  and  succeeding  actors  have  wisely 
adopted  the  substitution. 

Bates,  the  low  comedian,  had  his  benefit  September  30th, 
when  was  presented  for  the  first  time  in  America  the  comedy, 
"Who  wants  a  Guinea  ?  "  The  announcement  of  his  benefit 
and  of  the  plays  to  be  performed  was  made  in  verse  ;  and  for 
several  seasons  in  succession  it  appeared  in  this  form,  always 
beginning  with  the  same  heading  and  initial  lines.  The 
verses  had  no  poetical  merit,  and  so  little  wit  that  they 
scarcely  deserve  to  be  quoted.  A  few,  however,  are  here 
presented  : 

"  Theatrical  Intelligence,  ordinary  and  extraordinary. 

"  On  Monday  evening  next,  as  the  play-bill  relates, 
To  discount  other  bills  is  a  bill  of  Bill  Bates, 
To  which  he  invites  all  the  town,  grave  and  gay, 
To  see  wit  and  humour  portrayed  in  a  play. 
Twas  wrote  by  young  Colman,  a  whimsical  ninny, 
To  interrogate  wittily,  who  wants  a  guinea? 
To  which  Bates  replies,  as  an  indigent  elf, 
He  hopes  there's  none  wants  one  so  much  as  himself. 
So,  respectfully  now  on  the  public-he  draws, 
Who  his  credit  support  by  lending  applause," — 

and  so  on  to  the  end,  particularly  naming  each  part  of  the 
evening's  entertainment.  Bates's  idea  was  subsequently 
much  better  elaborated  by  the  lamented  Finn,  whose  poet- 
ical advertisements,  sparkling  with  wit,  were  eagerly  expected 
in  Boston,  and  when  published  were  extensively  copied  by 
the  newspapers. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1807,  Mr.  Morse,  a  graduate  of 
Brown  University,  and  a  pupil  of  Cooper,  played  here  three 
nights,  and  it  was  prophesied  by  his  friends  that  he  would 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  35 

attain  eminence  in  the  histrionic  profession.  The  theatre 
closed  on  the  12th  of  October,  the  receipts  being  for  the 
benefit  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper. 

On  the  19th  of  the  same  month  it  was  reopened  for  the 
performance  of  "  Douglas  "  and  the  "Agreeable  Suprise,"  by 
a  Thespian  Club  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor.  A  large  audi- 
ence was  in  attendance,  perhaps  the  largest  ever  congre- 
gated up  to  that  time  in  the  theatre,  as  many  persons  were 
present  who  had  never  before  witnessed  a  dramatic  repre- 
sentation. The  regular  actors  had  left  town  the  preceding 
week,  though  Mrs.  Harper  and  one  or  two  other  ladies 
remained  and  assisted  in  the  plays.  The  male  characters 
were  personated  by  young  gentlemen  of  the  town,  the  part 
of  Douglas  being  sustained  by  Benjamin  Paige.  The  per- 
formance progressed  smoothly  until  the  end  of  the  fifth  act, 
when  the  young  hero  dies  in  the  embrace  of  his  mother, 
Lady  Randolph,  played  by  Mrs.  Harper.  A  young  man  of 
the  name  of  Smith,  well  known  as  a  bon  vivant,  whose  potations 
this  evening  had  been  unusually  frequent,  had  looked  from 
his  seat  in  the  pit  with  a  contemptuous  eye  on  the  efforts  of 
his  friend,  Paige,  during  the  early  part  of  the  play,  but  when 
the  catastrophe  approached,  and  he  saw  him  expiring  fall 
into  the  arms  of  Mrs.  Harper,  who  in  the  struggle  of  death 
clasped  him  to  her  bosom,  he  broke  out  in  a  voice  that 
plainly  betrayed  his  admiration,  tinged  perhaps  with  envy, 
"  That's  the  happiest  death  you'll  ever  die,  Benny  !  " 

The  shouts  of  laughter  that  hailed  this  outburst,  though 
they  disconcerted  the  performers,  indicated  how  thoroughly 
the  audience  appreciated  the  spirit  of  the  remark. 

The  performance  on  this  occasion  was  begun  with  an 
original  Prologue,  contributed  by  Paul  Allen.  It  was  recited 
by  Mr.  Cambreling  with  such  feeling  as  to  create  a  most 
favorable  impression,  and  to  give  to  the  poem  a  "  music 
scarce  confessed  its  own." 

PROLOGUE. 

BY     PAUL     ALLEN,     ESq_. 

"  All  who,  with  cynical  contempt,  refuse 
And  shun  all  commerce  with  the  tragic  muse, 
Have  jet  to  learn  (though  many  a  comic  scene 
On  this  eventful  stage  may  intervene) 


36  HISTORY    OF    THE 

That  soon  the  hour  of  fond  delusion's  past, 

And  life  is  but  a  tragedy  at  last. 

Search  nature  through,  and  tragedy  appears 

In  every  shape;  the  husband's,  widow's  tears; 

The  orphan  of  a  mother's  care  bereft, 

To  want,  to  pride,  to  griping  guardians  left; 

The  wretched  beggar,  whose  unsheltered  head 

Is  white  with  snows  by  seventy  winters  shed, 

Beholds  the  'wildering  tempest  round  him  roar, 

And  knocks  at  wealth's  inhospitable  door;  — 

These  dire  examples  show  in  nature's  plan 

How  deeply  tragic  is  the  life  of  man ! 

We  copy  life,  and  show  by  transcript  fair 

The  melancholy  picture,  what  we  are, 

Whatever  grief  the  drama  has  in  store, 

The  Earth,  that  stage  of  life,  abounds  with  more. 

Not  hoarding  Av'rice,  now,  with  sordid  views, 

Invokes  assistance  from  the  tragic  muse  : 

To  comfort  those  oppressed  with  want  or  care, 

The  many  evils  life  is  doomed  to  bear; 

To  flush  the  cheek  of  sorrow  with  delight, 

This  mimic  tragedy  appears  to-night. 

"  Come  then,  ye  noble  souls,  whose  hearts  can  feel, 
O  tender  sympathy,  thy  holy  zeal ! 
Assist  our  common  labours  for  relief, 
And  kindle  sunshine  on  the  face  of  grief  ! 
Then,  when  returning  from  dramatic  woes, 
Your  heads  shall  press  the  pillow  of  repose — 
Soft  as  yon  moonbeams  slumbering  on  the  cloud, 
Dreams  of  delight  shall  every  sense  enshroud." 

This  club  performed  for  the  same  praiseworthy  object, 
"The  Fair  Penitent"  and  "The  Spoiled  Child,"  on  the  2d  of 
November. 

In  June,  1808,  the  interior  of  the  theatre  was  tastefully- 
repainted  by  Mr.  Warrall,  of  the  Boston  Theatre.  The  com- 
pany contained  Messrs.  Caulfield,  Bates,  Dykes,  Harper, 
Bailey,  Jones,  Huntingdon,  Claude,  Stockwell  and  Vining ; 
also  Mesdames  Claude,  Harper,  Dykes,  Downie  and  Bates. 
Mr.  Jones  was  scenic  artist.  Mr.  Vining  was  the  principal 
vocalist,  and  Mr.  Caulfield,  who  had  been  brought  from 
Drury  Lane  by  Mr.  Bernard  in  1806,  was  the  chief  trage- 
dian. The  evenings  of  performance  were  Mondays  and 
Thursdays. 

The  season  of  1809  began  on  the  4th  of  July.  The  addi- 
tions to  the  company  were  Messrs.  Mills,  Barnes  (who  had 
just  married  Miss  Bates),  Adams,  Robertson  and  Andrew  J. 
Allen.     September  8th  brought  a  "  star,"  the  "  young  Amer- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  37 

ican  Roscius,"  Master  Payne,  then  seventeen  years  of  age. 
Much  pleasure  was  experienced  by  the  play-goers  during  this 
engagement,  and  every  one  was  loud  in  praise  of  the  young 
actor.  The  editor  of  the  American  first  heard  him  at  a  pri- 
vate party  read  several  poems,  and  in  his  next  issue  eulogized 
him  in  the  warmest  terms  as  a  prodigy  of  talent ;  at  the  same 
time  asserting  that  his  own  judgment  was  impartial,  that  he 
had  struggled  against  the  popular  prepossessions,  but  had 
been  involuntarily  caught  by  the  magnetism  of  Master 
Payne's  manner. 

"  It  has  been,"  he  concludes,  "  the  usual  fate  of  genius  to  contend  with 
the  public  insensibility  and  neglect.  The  trial  has  in  most  instances 
been  too  severe,  and  genius  has  fallen  a  victim  in  the  contest.  A  strug- 
gle of  another  kind,  though  less  arduous,  awaits  Mr.  Payne.  He  has  to 
contend  with  the  admiration  of  the  public;  he  has  to  continue  to  deserve 
it.  Let  him  reflect  that  the  splendid  plume  that  he  now  wears  on  his 
brow,  tinged  by  the  beams  of  an  auspicious  sun,  may  lose  its  lustre  for- 
ever. Popular  applause  has  often  proved  a  Delilah's  lap,  in  which  those 
who  slumber  are  shorn  of  their  strength.  In  his  future  exertions  he  has 
our  best  wishes,  and  we  should  feel  an  honest  pride  in  their  eventual 
accomplishment.  Many  will  think  this  paragraph  a  tame  subservience 
to  flattery,  which  we  have  not  manhood  to  resist.  To  these  hunters  for 
mean  motives  for  actions  coldly  just,  a  contemptuous  silence  shall  be  our 
only  reply." 

Payne  played  only  two  nights  ;  on  the  8th,  Hamlet,  and  on 
the  nth,  Octaviau,  in  "The  Mountaineers."  His  uncom- 
mon beauty  and  his  modest  air  won  for  him  the  admiration 
of  all.  His  form  was  slight,  and  not  capable  of  great  physi- 
cal exertion  ;  his  features  were  round  and  smooth,  evidencing 
juvenility;  and  his  vocal  organs  were  only  partially  devel- 
oped. All  these  were  obstacles  to  astonishing  effects  in 
those  characters  requiring  a  powerful  frame  and  marked 
features,  but,  though  they  militated  against  successful  per- 
sonation in  scenes  of  turbulent  passions,  his  few  defects  were 
counterbalanced  by  a  soundness  of  judgment  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  experienced  actors,  and  by  the  tenderness  and 
pathos  with  which  he  delivered  affecting  passages.  The 
critics  in  other  places  considered  Norval  his  best  part,  but  he 
did  not  attempt  it  here. 

His  eventful  life  terminated  in  1852.  Among  his  numer- 
ous literary  productions  was  the  opera  of  "  Clari,"  which 
contained  the  affecting  song,  "  Sweet  Home."  This  piece 
made  the  fortune  of  every  one  connected  with   it.      It  gained 


38  HISTORY     OF    THE 

for  Miss  M.  Tree  (the  sister  of  Mrs.  Charles  Kean),  who  first 
sang  "  Home,  sweet  Home,"  a  wealthy  husband,  and  it  filled 
the  theatre  treasury.  More  than  one  hundred  thousand 
copies  of  the  song  were  sold  by  the  original  publishers,  whose 
profits  within  two  years  after  it  was  issued,  amounted  to  two 
thousand  guineas.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Payne  did  not  receive 
the  pitiful  sum  that  was  to  have  been  paid  to  him  on 
the  twentieth  night  of  performance,  and  that  he  was  not 
complimented  by  the  publishers  with  a  copy  of  his  own 
song.1 

1 8 10  was  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Harper's  management  in 
Providence.  He  had  found  that  of  late  years  the  theatre 
under  his  direction  was  not  such  paying  property  as  he  had 
wished  and  expected.  The  novelty  of  theatrical  representa- 
tions had  long  since  worn  away,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  he 
could  obtain  profitable  houses,  except  when  his  expenses 
were  increased  beyond  prudence  by  the  engagement  of 
"  stars,"  or  the  production  of  spectacles.  At  first  he  was 
able  to  give  three  performances  a  week,  but  latterly  the 
receipts  scarcely  supported  two.  To  those  conversant  with 
theatricals  this  lack  of  success  will  not  occasion  surprise,  but 
they  will  rather  wonder  that  so  small  a  town  as  Providence 
could  maintain  a  theatre  for  a  single  season,  and  that,  too, 
at  a  time  when  actors  were  regarded  with  aversion  by  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  community.  In  Boston,  a  much  larger 
place,  the  theatre  was  never  profitable  until  Mr.  Powell  as- 
sumed the  managerial  baton. 

The  families  who  had  originally  established  the  theatre  in 
Providence  were  wealthy  and  influential,  and  felt  bound  to 
bestow  a  liberal  patronage  on  those  whom  they  had  encour- 
aged to  come  here,  and  who  catered  for  their  amusement, 
and  consequently  they  frequently  attended  the  theatre.  The 
proprietors  owned  boxes  in  which  their  families  had  regular 
seats.  Many  others,  following  the  example  of  the  leaders  of 
fashion,  often  visited  it,  and  thus  it  seldom  presented  an 
empty  appearance.  The  price  of  admission  being  high,  the 
rougher  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  in  a  measure  excluded, 
and  the  audience  was  orderly,  quiet,  and  polite.  Then  the 
term  "dress   circle"   was  no   unmeaning  name.     The  ladies 

1  Record  of  the  Boston  Stage. 


PROVIDENXE    STAGE.  39 

and  gentlemen  of  the  town,  the  Corlisses,  the  Nightingales, 
the  Halseys,  and  others  came  in  their  carriages,  and  entered 
the  boxes  with  powdered  heads  and  dressed  in  the  stately 
costume  of  the  period.  Between  the  acts  their  liveried  ser- 
vants entered  the  circles,  bearing  trays  laden  with  wines  and 
sherbets,  and  served  them  to  their  masters  and  mistresses. 
These  refreshments  were  procured  at  a  small  bar  or  refectory 
attached  to  the  theatre.  Thus  the  theatre  was  made  the 
scene  of  fashionable  reunion,  the  place  of  full  dress,  of  ele- 
gant demeanor,  and  of  polite  intercourse.  In  those  days 
there  were  no  concerts,  no  lectures,  no  panoramas,  and  no 
Ethiopian  serenaders  to  rival  the  attractions  of  the  drama, 
and,  as  the  facilities  for  communication  with  the  large  cities 
were  few,  the  citizens  of  the  town  were  compelled  to  rely 
upon  their  own  resources  for  recreation.  Hence  the  theatre 
came  to  be  the  focus  at  which  the  beauty,  fashion,  and  intel- 
ligence of  Providence  regularly  met. 

Inclement  weather,  however,  always  diminished  the  attend- 
ance of  the  habitues,  and  Mr.  Harper,  when  the  skies  wore  a 
threatening  aspect,  was  accustomed  to  postpone  the  per- 
formance, giving  notice  of  such  postponement  by  means  of 
the  town  crier,  who  with  his  bell,  announced  at  the  corners 
of  the  streets  that  the  theatre  would  be  closed  until  fair 
weather.  Whenever  the  season  was  unusually  inclement, 
frequent  postponements  took  place,  and  the  manager  would 
sustain  considerable  loss.  When  this  fact  was  communicated 
to  the  stockholders,  they  used  to  unite  for  the  purpose  of 
bettering  the  condition  of  his  treasury.  Thus,  the  season 
of  1796  had  been  so  unfavorable  that  the  management  had 
lost  money  by  their  Providence  campaign  ;•  in  consideration 
of  which  circumstance  the  proprietors  on  the  22d  of  July 
tendered  a  benefit  to  the  company.  In  reference  to  this 
occasion  the  following  editorial  notice  appeared  in  the  United 
States  Chronicle  : 

"This  evening  the  proprietors  have  generously  agreed  to  forego  their 
privileges  in  the  house  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  merit  so  much  for 
their  exertion  to  please.  It  is  hoped  that  a  full  house  will  recompense 
their  exertions,  and  stimulate  them  to  continue  that  line  of  conduct  which 
they  have  heretofore  followed,  and  which  would  do  honour  to  any  theat- 
rical corps  in  the  United  States." 


40  HISTORY     OF    THE 

By  particular  desire  of  the  proprietors  on  this  occasion,  the 
"  Provoked  Husband"  was  played,  Mr.  Powell  as  Lord  Town- 
ley,  and  Mrs.  Powell  as  Lady  Townley.  If  this  comedy,  then 
performed  by  "  particular  desire,"  should  now  be  produced, 
its  licentiousness  would  excite  general  disgust. 

At  other  times  social  festivities  were  very  frequent,  and,  as 
a  result  the  theatre  was  neglected  ;  but  its  friends  would 
eventually  come  to  its  aid,  and  make  good  the  losses  sus- 
tained. Thus,  in  1802  the  attendance  of  the  fashion  of  the 
town  had  been  very  small  on  account  of  numerous  balls  and 
parties.  At  this  juncture  a  friend  of  the  drama  by  a  well- 
timed  communication  to  one  of  the  newspapers  established  a 
better  state  of  affairs.  He  suggested  the  propriety  of  omit- 
ting the  entertainments  of  assemblies,  balls,  and  parties,  while 
the  theatre  was  open,  as  it  was  only  a  small  part  of  the  year 
that  the  citizens  could  be  favored  with  dramatic  performances, 
it  being  difficult  and  expensive  to  maintain  a  company  whose 
talents  would  command  the  respect  of  the  amateurs  of  the- 
atricals, and,  as  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  usually  at- 
tended the  assemblies  were  the  friends  of  the  theatre,  and  its 
most  brilliant  and  enlivening  company. 

Whenever  the  company  was  rather  deficient  in  talent,  or 
when  from  the  caprice  of  the  public,  or  from  the  excessive 
heat  of  the  weather  the  audiences  became  very  small,  Mr. 
Harper  would  find  himself  unable  to  remunerate  his  company 
so  well  as  he  wished.  During  these  disastrous  periods  they 
were  sore  pressed  to  make  a  subsistence,  and  it  is  said  that 
some  of  them  actually  suffered  from  hunger.  It  is  related 
that  at  one  of  these  extremely  severe  times  Kenney,  the 
"first  old-man  "  of  the  company,  went  into  Major  McLane's 
Coffee  House  at  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  that 
being  the  hour  at  which  it  was  the  custom  of  the  merchants 
to  assemble  there  for  a  lunch  and  a  brief  moment  of  conver- 
sation, and,  approaching  a  group  of  .gentlemen,  addressed 
Col.  Ephraim  Bowen,  who  sat  among  them,  and  asked  if  he 
knew  of  any  one  who  had  need  of  a  set  of  teeth.  The  Colonel 
expressing  surprise  at  the  inquiry,  Mr.  Kenney  remarked  that 
he  had  a  very  good  set  of  his  own  to  dispose  of,  having  no 
use  for  them.  The  gentlemen  commiserating  his  necessitous 
condition,  at  once  provided  him  with  a  dinner,  and  made  him 
a  substantial  present.     Kenney  was  very  tall,  and  generally 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  4 1 

wore  dove-colored  clothes.  He  was  liked  by  the  public,  who 
sometimes  forgot  that  their  favorites  needed  their  attention, 
but  when  reminded  of  their  claims,  always  endeavored  to 
atone  for  the  remissness  of  the  past  by  increased  liberality. 
This  incident,  it  should  be  remembered,  occurred  when  the 
town  was  very  small.1 

Certain  occasions  always  brought  good  audiences  to  the 
theatre.  These  were  Independence  Day,  Commencement 
Day,  Training  Day,  and,  during  Mr.  Harper's  residence  in 
Providence,  St.  John's  Day.  The  manager  and  several  of  his 
company  were  Free  Masons,  and  on  the  occurrence  of  their 
benefits  or  of  the  annual  festival  of  the  order,  the  frater- 
nity attended  the  performances  in  large  numbers.  The  pro- 
grammes then  announced  that  the  entertainments  were  "un- 
der the  patronage  of  the  most  worshipful  Grand  Master  of 
the  most  ancient  and  honourable  fraternity  of  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island." 

About  the  year  1805,  the  following  notice  was  appended  to 
the  play-bills  : 

"  It  is  earnestly  requested  that  no  person  will  carry  a  lighted  cigar  into 
any  part  of  the  theatre,  or  attempt  to  renew  the  very  dangerous  practice 
of  smoking,  either  in  the  lobbies,  or  in  the  presence  of  the  audience." 

There  was  urgent  necessity  for  this  notice ;  for  many  per- 
sons were  in  the  habit  of  leaving  their  seats  during  the  in- 
termissions to  obtain  refreshments,  and  of  promenading  the 
lobbies  with  lighted  cigars.  As  the  lobbies  were  small,  and 
the  doors  to  the  auditorium  were  open,  the  smoke  penetrated 
within,  and  annoyed  the  occupants  of  seats.  Sometimes,  in- 
deed, lads  would  bring  cigars  into  the  gallery  and  other  parts 
of  the  house,  but  that  practice  never  prevailed  to  a  great  ex- 
tent. At  this  time  there  was  much  fear  in  the  neighborhood 
that  the  theatre  would  take  fire,  and  certain  reports  concern- 
ing the  peril  to  which  the  building  was  exposed  impelled  the 
manager  to  take  all  the  precautions  requisite  for  its  safety. 

1  A  death  in  any  of  the  principal  families  would  seriously  affect  the  attendance  at  the 
theatre.     On  the  19th  of  September,  180S,  the  following  notice  was  placarded  in  the  town 

"THEATRE. 

"POSTPONEMENT. 

"The  much  lamented  death  of  the  Hon.  Judge  Uourne,  of  Bristol,  whose  funeral  is  tin- 
day  attended  by  his  numerous  friends  and  connections,  imposes  on  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claude 
the  painful  necessity  of  postponing  the  Entertainments,  announced  for  this  Evening,  un- 
til Wednesday  Evening,  Sept.  21,  when  the  performance  will  positively  take  place. 

"  Monday,  Sept.  in." 


42  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Similar  requests  in  regard  to  cigar  smoking  appeared  about 
this  time  in  other  towns,  and  long  afterwards  formed  a  reg- 
ular part  of  theatrical  bills.  The  manners  of  Americans  in 
general  were  then  unpolished,  and,  at  promiscuous  public 
assemblies,  indecorous  to  a  disgraceful  degree.  Mr.  Jansen, 
in  his  "  Stranger  in  America,"  a  very  severe  book  on  this 
country,  published  in  1807,  reprobates  in  the  strongest  terms 
the  behavior  of  the  audiences  in  our  theatres.  His  censure 
was  applicable  to  those  in  Southern  cities. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper  had  by  their  private  worth  endeared 
themselves  to  many  friends,  and  their  society  had  been 
courted  by  some  of  the  best  families  of  the  town  ;  but  as  per- 
formers they  had  lost  much  of  their  power  of  attraction. 
Their  acting  had  been  witnessed  night  after  night  by  the 
same  audiences,  and  it  therefore  lacked  the  charm  of  novelty. 
Seen  too  frequently,  even  their  merits  became  tiresome,  and 
their  defects  appeared  more  prominent.  It  was  hard  that  he 
who  had  so  assiduously  labored  to  create  a  taste  for  the 
drama  should  be  obliged  after  years  of  faithful  service  to  leave 
the  scene  of  his  toil  and  seek  a  new  home.  As  we  have  seen, 
he  had  withstood  fanatical  laws,  and  the  bigoted  hostility  of 
individuals,  in  his  efforts  to  plant  the  drama  in  New  England, 
and  by  his  perseverance  and  zeal  he  had  succeeded  in  living 
down  opposition,  accomplishing  his  dearest  wish,  while  his 
private  character  had  dissipated  many  of  the  prejudices 
against  his  profession.  He  was  like  the  pioneer  who  con- 
quers the  ruggedness  of  nature,  and  sows  seed,  the  fruit  of 
which,  those  who  come  after  him,  reap.  Mr.  Harper  and  his 
wife  on  their  departure  bore  with  them  a  multitude  of  kind 
regards. 

In  his  youth  Mr.  Harper  was  considered  handsome.  He 
had  fine  teeth  and  expressive  eyes,  but  his  face  was  slightly 
marked  with  small-pox.  He  personated  characters  of  every 
description,  from  Richard  III.  to  Falstaff.  In  the  latter  part 
he  was  for  a  long  while  unrivalled,  there  being  no  other  repre- 
sentative of  the  fat  knight  in  America.  Eventually  he  re- 
signed the  part  to  Mr.  Bates. 

Mrs.  Harper  was  an  amiable  woman,  but  possessed  no  great 
talent  as  an  actress,  though  there  were  a  few  characters 
which  she  performed  very  well.  She  became  somewhat 
fleshy  as  she  advanced  in   years,   and    was  little  inclined  to 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  43 

study  ;  hence  not  unfrequently  she  was  negligent  of  her  duty, 
and  gave  offence  by  imperfectness. 

Bates  was  a  true  son  of  Momus,  a  fellow  of  infinite  jest, 
equally  amusing  on  the  stage  and  in  private  life.  Of  him  it 
might  be  said  with  truth  : 

"  His  life  was  laughter,  and  the  ludicrous 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  saj  to  all  the  world — this  was  an  actor." 

Like  many  other  comedians  he  had  in  early  life  labored 
under  the  mistaken  idea  that  he  was  peculiarly  adapted  to 
tragedy.  He  was  a  broad,  short,  strongly-built  man,  with 
low  comedy  written  on  every  feature.  Mr.  Dunlap,  however, 
who  was  no  admirer  of  him,  says  it  was  low,  conceited  cun- 
ning. At  any  rate  in  some  comic  parts  Bates  shone  brightly, 
especially  in  that  of  Sir  John  Falstaff,  whose  unctuous  sensu- 
ality and  waggish  knavery  he  represented  with  an  abandon 
and  a  relish  that  made  the  personation  appear  a  complete 
identification.  In  spite  of  his  figure,  his  agility  as  Harle- 
quin in  pantomimes  was  surprising,  and  the  height  of  his  leaps 
was  an  unfailing  source  of  admiration  to  the  young.  A 
ludicrous  anecdote  is  related  of  him,  by  his  friend  Bernard. 
Bates  was  engaged  in  Covent  Garden  Theatre  when  Reddish 
and  Smith  were  its  stilted  tragedians,  and  he  thought  it 
proper  to  adapt  his  own  bearing  to  theirs  ;  so,  having  on  one 
occasion  to  announce  somebody's  carriage,  he  did  it  with  all 
the  declamatory  pomp  of  old  Ouin.  Smith  heard  him, — 
stared,  and  angrily  asked  why  he  couldn't  say,  "The  carriage 
waits  "  in  a  natural  manner;  whereupon  Bates  replied  with  a 
deprecatory  air,  "  Ton  my  word,  Mr.  Smith,  I  thought  I  had 
kept  down  the  sentiment  completely."  This  anecdote  has 
been  fastened  upon  Wignell,  but  Mr.  Bernard,  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  both  Bates  and  Wignell,  assigns  it  to  the 
former.  Wignell  was  the  manager  who  found  Mr.  Bates  in 
1773  filling  a  subordinate  station  in  one  of  the  London  thea- 
tres, and  brought  him  to  America  with  other  performers  en- 
gaged by  him.  When  he  came  under  Mr.  Harper's  manage- 
ment he  used  to  visit  Providence  every  year,  and  then  go 
with  the  company  to  Charleston  and  the  other  places  in  their 
regular  circuit,  but  in  the  later  years  of  his  stay  in  Provi- 
dence, he  had  become  weakened  by  the  approaches  of  age, 
and  illness  prevented  him  from  fulfilling  winter  engagements. 


44  HISTORY    OF    THE 

He  had  therefore  to  depend  for  subsistence  solely  on  the 
profits  of  the  summer  campaign  here  and  in  Newport,  which 
were  often  very  small.  He,  however,  managed  to  eke  out  his 
means  by  giving  one  or  two  exhibitions  of  a  humorous  char- 
acter in  the  winter  season  when  there  was  a  dearth  of  amuse- 
ments. His  distresses  were  also  alleviated  by  the  kind  assist- 
ance of  a  benevolent  gentleman. 

Bates's  benefits  were  always  well  attended,  and,  in  general 
the  performances  were  satisfactory  to  the  audience  ;  but  on 
one  unlucky  occasion,  in  the  year  1809,  he  made  an  injudi- 
cious selection,  bringing  out  the  comedy  of  "  The  Beaux 
Stratagem."  The  house  was  full  ;  but  it  proved  an  unfor- 
tunate performance  for  the  theatre,  as  the  licentiousness  of 
the  play  offended  the  patrons,  and  evoked  severe  strictures 
on  stage  exhibitions  from  the  opponents  of  the  drama.  The 
fault  was  not  wholly  in  the  comedy  ;  for  Mr.  Bates  had  pre- 
sumed upon  the  indulgence  of  his  friends,  and  gave  additional 
breadth  to  its  humor,  already  sufficiently  gross.  Several  let- 
ters from  indignant  correspondents  appeared  in  the  papers, 
and,  in  The  American,  a  warfare  against  theatres  was  waged 
for  a  number  of  weeks  by  a  writer  signing  himself  "  Morali- 
tas."  Others  defended  them,  but  "  Moralitas,"  though  evi- 
dently prejudiced  and  too  positive  in  his  assertions,  had  the 
best  of  the  argument.  He  was  capable  of  writing  well,  and 
moreover  had  the  greater  part  of  his  readers  on  his  side,  their 
minds  having  been  biased  by  whatever  they  had  seen  deserv- 
ing of  censure  in  the  obnoxious  comedy  ;  while  those  who 
took  up  arms  in  defence  of  the  stage  were  the  actors  them- 
selves, unaccustomed  to  literary  composition,  and  having 
scarcely  anything  to  adduce  in  justification  of  Mr.  Bates's  con- 
duct. The  strictures  of  "Moralitas"  on  the  characters  of 
actors  were  not  sufficiently  qualified,  and  were  understood  to 
be  aspersions  on  the  private  lives  of  the  performers  then  in 
town.  He  was  therefore  constrained  to  publish  a  card  ex- 
pressing his  regret  that  his  attack  on  theatrical  performances 
should  have  been  mistaken  for  an  attack  on  the  actors,  and 
stating  that  he  "  had  hoped  that  two  or  three  gentlemen  well 
known  in  the  town  and  much  respected  (one  of  whom  had 
spent  much  time  with  us,  and  established  a  character  of 
which  the  author  would  speak  in  the  highest  terms,  had  he 
the  right  to    speak  at   all  of  the   characters  of  individuals), 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  45 

would  have  thought  themselves  excepted  when  he  said,  'some 
of  them,  I  am  told,  are  entitled  to  respect,'  and,  in  speaking 
of  actors  generally  as  he  has  done,  such  were  undoubtedly 
excepted." 

We  owe  to  Mr.  Harper  the  introduction  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Darley  to  our  citizens.  Mr.  Darley  came  to  this  country 
when  a  boy  with  his  father  who  was  a  celebrated  singer.  He 
often  appeared  upon  the  stage  to  assist  in  choruses,  but  after- 
wards entered  the  navy  as  a  lieutenant  of  marines.  He  how- 
ever abandoned  his  new  profession,  returned  to  the  stage  in 
1800,  and  married  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  Miss  Ellen 
Westray,  one  of  the  most  fascinating  beings  that  ever  graced 
the  stage.  He  performed  light  comedy  very  well,  but  sing- 
ing was  his  forte,  and  his  aid  in  operatic  pieces  was  invalu- 
able. He  died  about  1850,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his 
age. 

Wherever  Mrs.  Darley  played  she  charmed  all  beholders 
by  her  vivacity,  and  rare  personal  beauty  and  grace.  The 
critics  of  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  vied  with  one 
another  in  praises  of  her  excellence,  and  for  many  years  she 
was  the  pride  of  the  American  stage.  Her  society  was  much 
courted  in  every  place  she  visited,  and  in  every  circle  she 
entered  she  became  the  chief  ornament.  She  was  an  "ever- 
during"  source  of  inspiration  to  the  young  poets  of  the  time, 
who  racked  their  imaginations  to  find  wherewithal  to  liken 
her  perfections.  Others  searched  their  memories  for  com- 
parisons, and  decked  her  with  all  the  graces  ascribed  to  the 
goddesses  of  classical  mythology,  or  the  heroines  of  history ; 
from  Venus  to  Publicola's  sister, 

"  Chaste  as  the  icicle 
That's  curded  by  the  forest  from  purest  snow, 
And  hangs  on  Dian's  temple." 

Soon  after  her  return  to  Boston  from  a  visit  to  another 
part  of  the  country  in  1802,  she  received  the  following  com- 
pliment through  the  channel  of  one  of  the  public  papers  : 

"  As  on  Olympus'  loft}'  brow 

The  Heavenly  Fair  assembled  sat, 
Look'd  down  on  mortals  here  below, 
And  talked  of  this  and  talked  of  that: — 

"  Says  Juno,  '  Who,  of  Heavenly  birth, 
Obedient  to  our  high  command, 


46  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

Will  freely  wing  her  way  to  earth, 
Awhile  to  grace  the  Thespian  band?' 

"  Nature,  soft,  simple,  modest,  mild, 
In  sweetest  accents  begg'd  to  go: 
Fair  Venus  kiss'd  the  prattling  child, 
And  lent  the  magic  cestus  too. 

"  Columbia  owns  her  power  to  move, 
The  cold  to  warm,  the  savage  tame, 
With  pity  melt,  or  wound  with  love — 
And  Darley  calls  her  favorite's  name." 

This  poem  was  supposed  to  be  the  production  of  Paul 
Allen,  at  that  time  the  poet  of  Providence,  whose  odes  were 
read  on  every  public  occasion,  and  whose  fugacious  verses 
appeared  from  time  to  time  in  the  periodicals  of  Providence 
and  Boston. 

Mrs.  Darley  removed  in  18 12  to  Philadelphia,  where  she 
died  in  1848,  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  her  age,  lamented  by 
a  large  circle  of  attached  friends. 

Many  others  of  Mr.  Harper's  company  are  still  remem- 
bered by  our  older  citizens.  There  was  Mrs.  Marshall,  whose 
hearty,  joyous  manner,  made  her  a  most  charming  actress  in 
romps  and  similar  characters — the  delight  of  every  theatre 
in  which  she  played,  charming  the  spectators  by  her  natural- 
ness and  sparkling  vivacity.  Then  there  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Villiers,  honored  by  all  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  ;  Mrs.  Barnes, 
who  continued  to  reside  among  us  for  a  long  series  of  years ;  and 
Mr.  Andrew  J.  Allen,  who  subsequently  essayed  the  manage- 
ment of  a  theatre  in  Dorrance  street,  and  died  several  years 
ago  in  New  York.  He  was  the  last  of  all  the  performers 
whom  Mr.  Harper  brought  to  Providence,  and  only  a  few  of 
the  spectators  who  used  to  attend  the  theatre  in  those  days 
survive  him. 


CHAPTER    V. 

1811-1812. 

The  theatre  Leased  by  Powell  and  Dickson— A  liberal  patron- 
age  BESTOWED  ON  THE  NEW  MANAGERS— THE     PRESS     DEMAND     THE 

engagement  of  mr.  morse— james  entwistle— the  theatre  at 
klchmond  destroyed  by  fire— a  petition  for  the  suppression 
of  the  Providence  theatre  circulated— Great  efforts  made 
to  procure  signatures— the  contest  in  the  general  assembly 
—Speeches  of  John  Whipple  and  Tristam  Burges— The  subject 
referred  to  a  special  committee— Anecdote  of  Thomas  L.  Hal- 
sey— An  act  is  passed  respecting  the  Providence  theatre — 
This  act  withheld  from  the  Statute  Book— Action  of  the  town 
council. 

THE  Providence  theatre  opened  for  the  season  of  1811, 
on  the  first  of  July,  under  the  auspices  of  Messrs. 
Powell  and  Dickson.  Mr.  Powell  leased  the  building 
for  five  years,  agreeing  to  pay  an  annual  rent  of  two  hundred 
dollars  ;  and  to  allow  nightly  thirty  box  tickets,  which  at  an 
average  of  forty  nights  a  season  would  amount  to  twelve 
hundred  dollars.  By  this  contract  the  stockholders  obtained 
fifteen  per  cent,  on  the  cost  of  the  edifice  ($9,300). 

The  new  managers  were  as  competent  for  their  business  as  any 
that  have  ever  figured  in  America.  They  brought  with  them 
from  Boston,  a  company  far  superior  to  Harper's,  and  at  once 
revived  the  dramatic  taste.  The  company  contained,  besides 
the  managers,  Messrs.  Duff,  Darley,  Entwistle,  Robertson, 
Barnes,  Vaughn,  Drake,  and  Bailey,  and  Mesdames  S.  Powell, 
Duff,  Barnes,  Drake,  Mills,  Doigne,  and  others. 

The  initial  performance  consisted  of  "The  Mountaineers," 
and  "The  Weathercock."  During  the  second  week  Mr. 
Duff  produced  "Three  and  the  Deuce,"  in  which  he  per- 
sonated three  characters ;  and  this  novelty  ensured  its  fre- 
quent repetition.  Performances  were  now  given  three  times 
a  week. 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  public  were  not  slow  in  recognizing  the  merits  of  the 
actors,  and  on  the  nth  of  July  a  correspondent  of  the  Rhode 
Island  American  congratulated  his  townsmen  on  the  im- 
proved condition  of  theatricals,  and  the  managers  on  the  lib- 
eral support  they  had  received,  and  would  continue  to  experi- 
ence so  long  as  they  should  maintain  the  existing  standard  of 
excellence.  "The  best  productions  of  the  English  drama- 
tists," he  wrote,  "are  presented  (here)  as  well  as  in  Boston, 
New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  and  I  have  no  hesitancy  in  say- 
ing, from  the  regularity  with  which  the  business  is  conducted, 
and  the  judicious  arrangements  of  the  entertainments,  that 
the  Providence  theatre  will  become  a  school  of  morality."/ 
During  this  season  "  Forty  Thieves  "  was  played,  with  the 
original  music,  dresses,  and  decorations  with  which  it  had 
been  performed  in  Boston  forty  nights.  The  MustapJia  of 
Mr.  Dickson,  and  the  Morgiana  of  Mrs.  Duff  were  much  ad- 
mired, and  the  play  was  represented  six  nights  ;  books  with 
descriptions  of  the  scenery,  and  the  words  of  the  song,  being 
sold  at  the  box  office. 

The  patronage  bestowed  on  the  theatre  was  as  liberal  as 
could  be  desired,  and  the  managers  labored  to  retain  the 
favor  of  their  patrons.  Play-going  was  "all  the  rage"  until 
a  slight  disagreement  with  the  public  occurred  about  the  end 
of  August.  Mr.  Morse,  a  gentleman  well  known  in  the  town, 
having  been  a  student  in  Brown  University,  had  gone  to  Bos- 
ton several  years  before  to  begin  the  study  of  law.  His 
towering  figure,  muscular  and  well-formed  limbs,  together 
with  some  elocutionary  skill  which  he  had  displayed,  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  tragedian,  Cooper,  who,  after  some  pre- 
liminary tuition,  brought  him  upon  the  stage  in  November, 
1806.  From  that  time  Mr.  Morse  gradually  improved  as  an 
actor,  until  his  fame  had  spread  over  New  England.  In  1807 
he  had  played  three  nights  in  Providence,  and  had  then  shown 
indications  of  such  considerable  ability  that  many  of  the 
theatre-goers  were  now  desirous  of  seeing  how  well  his  ma- 
turity had  fulfilled  the  promises  of  his  youth. 

He  arrived  in  Providence,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  his 
friends,  early  in  August,  1811.  The  newspapers  announced 
his  arrival,  and  suggested  that  he  should  be  forthwith  en- 
gaged at  the  theatre.  Many  of  the  citizens  concurred  in  this 
desire.     Notwithstanding  this  expression  of  the  popularwish, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  49 

the  play-bills  did  not  announce  Mr.  Morse.  The  editors  were 
chagrined  at  the  seeming  slight  from  the  managers,  and,  be- 
ing also  willing  to  teach  the  new  comers  that  they  must  look 
to  the  press  for  directions  concerning  their  conduct,  urged 
the  town  to  stay  from  the  play-house,  and  let  Messrs.  Powell 
and  Dickson  see  the  folly  of  denying  their  wishes,  asserting 
that  the  citizens  had  a  right  to  prescribe  what  entertainments 
they  desired  to  enjoy.  The  articles  grew  more  threatening 
in  tone  in  every  issue,  and  the  Rhode  Island  American  was 
especially  loud  in  its  denunciations  of  the  management. 

At  first  the  managers  did  not  regard  these  demonstrations, 
but  at  length,  fearing  that  their  silence  might  do  them  an  in- 
jury, they  published  in  the  Gazette  a  card,  in  which  they  in- 
formed the  public  that  they  had  offered  Mr.  Morse  an  en- 
gagement for  the  remainder  of  the  season  upon  the  terms 
given  to  the  best  actors  of  the  theatre,  and  that  the  offer  was 
the  best  their  circumstances  warranted.  This  announcement 
was  of  service  to  the  theatre,  as  it  made  known  the  endeavors 
of  the  managers  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  their  patrons,  and 
allayed  the  acrimonious  feelings  which  had  been  manifested. 
The  matter  was  soon  forgotten  after  Mr.  Morse  had  given 
public  recitations,  and  the  theatre  regained  its  popularity. 

Mr.  Morse  shortly  afterwards  went  to  London,  where  he 
met  with  indifferent  success.  He  there  mingled  in  scenes  of 
dissipation,  and  on  his  return  to  Boston  had  lost  one  of  his 
eyes.  On  the  breaking  out  of  war  with  England  he  entered 
the  army,  but  on  the  return  of  peace  he  was  in  a  state  of  des- 
titution. He,  however,  made  a  vigorous  effort,  a  change  came 
over  his  life,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  clergy- 
man, settled  in  Virginia. 

The  season  was  brought  to  a  close  on  the  27th  of  Sep- 
tember with  a  series  of  benefits  for  the  leading  performers. 
James  Entwistle,  the  low  comedian, — and  a  good  one  he  was, 
too — on  his  night  appeared  as  Shylock  in  the  "  Merchant  of 
Venice,"  and  Risk  in  "  Love  Laughs  at  Locksmiths."  Risk 
was  the  first  character  he  had  personated  in  this  country, 
and  in  it  he  always  gained  applause :  so  when  his  friends  ex- 
pressed doubts  whether  he  could  play  Skylock,  he  replied  that 
should  he  incur 

"  Risk  by  his  S/iylock,  being  out  of  his  station, 
His  Risk  in  the  farce  would  secure  approbation." 
4 


50  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Entwistle,  who    was  desirous    of  playing  tragedy,  carried 
comedy  in  his  face,  and  even  in  his  dress  ;  his  very  hat  seem- 
ing to  have  a  comical  twist.     Wherever  he  appeared  he  be- 
came the  centre  of  an   admiring  circle,  and  every  remark  he 
made  was  hailed  with  transports  of  delight.      He  boarded  on 
North  Main  street  and  was  known  to  all  the  region  boys  for 
his  waggeries,  his  witticisms  having  general  currency.     The 
poor  man,  however,  must  have  had  tragedy  in  his  soul ;  for 
he  very  soon  died  under  circumstances  too  painful  to  relate. 
About  the  first  of  the  following  January,  news  of  a  great 
calamity  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  reached  Providence.     The 
theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  many  lives  were  lost.     From 
some  mismanagement  of  the  lights  the  scenery  was  ignited, 
the  flames  spread  with  rapidity,  and  the  cry  of  "  Fire  !  "  rang 
through  the  house.     The  occupants  of  the  pit  and  gallery  at 
once  made  their  escape,  but  those  in  the  boxes  were  not  so 
fortunate.     The  entrance  to  the    hall    was    narrow  and  ap- 
proached by  a  winding  passage ;  and  the  struggle  to  gain  it 
was  so  great  that  it  became  blocked  up.     All  present  might 
have  escaped,  if  they  had  jumped  into  the  pit,  but  no  one 
thought  of  that  expedient.    They  became  panic-struck.    The 
smoke  blinded  them,  and,  terrified  by  the  progress  of  the 
flames,  they  became  powerless,  and  were  trodden  under  foot, 
or  perished  in  the  raging  fire.     Seventy-one  persons,   includ- 
ing the  governor  of  the  State,  lost  their  lives  by  this  disas- 
ter.    The  next  day  all  places  of  business  in  Richmond  were 
closed,  a  law  was  passed  prohibiting  amusements  of  every 
kind  for  the  term  of  four  months,  and  the  citizens  wore  mourn- 
ing for  a  month.     At  Washington  the  representatives  of  the 
several   States    assumed    the  customary  badges  of  grief,  and 
all  amusements  were  suspended.     This   sad    occurrence  cre- 
ated a  deep  sensation   throughout  the  country,  and  in  Provi- 
dence it  produced  an  unusual  gloom  and  depression. 

It  was  now  deemed  by  some  well-meaning  people  an  aus- 
picious time  for  renewing  an  attack  upon  the  Providence 
theatre,  and,  believing,  or  affecting  to  believe,  that  the  recent 
calamity  at  Richmond  should  be  regarded  as  a  manifestation 
of  the  Divine  displeasure  at  the  increase  of  theatres,  they  at 
once  began  to  bestir  themselves.  Two  years  previously 
many  labored  addresses  against  theatrical  entertainments  had 
appeared    in   the   local  newspapers,  and   an  opinion  had  pre- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  5  I 

vailed  that  the  promoters  of  the  views  maintained  in  those 
articles  had  been  influenced  not  so  much  by  their  zeal  for  the 
public  morals,  as  by  more  selfish  considerations.  It  was,  per- 
haps, unfortunate  that  some  who  had  been  connected  with 
the  former  onslaught  were  identified  with  the  new  move- 
ment. A  petition  was  immediately  prepared,  reciting  numer- 
ous charges  against  actors  and  theatres,  and  asking  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  for  an  enactment  to  suppress  the  theatre  in 
Providence.  This  petition  was  industriously  circulated,  and 
it  soon  became  well  known  that  its  friends,  in  their  eagerness 
for  numbers,  had  obtained  the  signatures  not  only  of  respect- 
able men,  but  of  mere  lads,  and  even  of  some  of  the  most 
disreputable  characters  of  the  town.  It  was  taken  by  the 
town-sergeant,  "Deacon"  James  Hammond,  a  worthy  func- 
tionary, who,  in  dress  and  manners  was  the  ideal  of  a  paro- 
chial beadle,  into  the  public  schools,  and  the  teachers  en- 
couraged their  pupils  to  sign  it.  One  master  in  particular 
was  very  authoritative  in  urging  his  scholars  to  subscribe 
their  names,  arguing  that  the  effect  upon  the  legislature 
would  be  much  enhanced,  could  that  body  perceive  the  rising 
generation  thus  zealous  in  the  cause  of  virtue,  and  predicting 
a  disastrous  fate  for  those  who  should  refuse  to  comply  with 
his  wishes.  A  venerable  gentleman,  living  until  recently, 
remembered  to  his  sorrow  how  severely  he  was  whipped  be- 
cause he  withheld  his  name. 

While  the  petition  was  circulating,  the  preachers  were  ful- 
minating every  Sunday  in  their  pulpits,  and  inciting  their 
hearers  to  "come  up  to  their  help"  against  the  great  social 
evil  in  the  community  ;  and  during  the  rest  of  the  week  the 
morality  of  the  drama  was  the  subject  of  continual  debate, 
both  in  private  circles  and  in  the  public  prints.  The  oppo- 
nents of  the  petition  were  all  the  most  intelligent  and  influ- 
ential citizens,  except  the  Ives  and  the  elder  branch  of  the 
Browns ;  but  the  staunchest  friends  of  the  theatre  were 
Thomas  L.  Halsey,  Sr.,  James  Brown,  Moses  Lippitt,  John 
Corliss,  the  elder  Nightingales,  and  Col.  William  Blodget. 
Several  elaborate  essays,  pro  and  con,  appeared  in  the  col- 
umns of  the  American  and  Gazette,  and  never  before  in  Provi- 
dence was  the  subject  discussed  at  such  length,  or  with  such 
earnestness  and  ability.  The  articles  then  published  were 
the  productions  of  the  most  literary  men  of  the  town,  and,  if 
they  should  be  reprinted,  would  now  be  read  with  interest. 


52  HISTORY    OF    THE 

It  happened  that  a  party  issue  was  made  on  the  success  of 
this  measure.  The  town  was  nearly  equally  divided  in  pol- 
itics ;  and  the  indefatigable  zeal  of  Philip  Martin,  Charles 
Hartshorn,  and  Ezekiel  Burr  in  circulating  the  petition  was 
ascribed  to  their  desire  "of  blowing  up  the  federalists." 
These  gentlemen  were  active  members,  each  of  one  of  the 
religious  societies  in  the  town,  and  were  doubtless  innocent 
of  any  political  designs  ;  but  when  the  report  gained  currency 
that  they  were  influenced  by  sinister  motives,  it  may  readily 
be  perceived  how  futile  would  be  all  their  exertions  in  some 
directions,  and  how  many  persons,  previously  friendly  or 
indifferent  to  their  plans,  at  once  became  hostile  to  them. 
It  was  said  that  some  who  had  signed  the  petition,  influenced 
by  the  representations  of  others,  were  desirous  of  withdraw- 
in-  their  names,  after  having  found  that  these  representa- 
tions were  untrue.  The  intention  of  the  enemies  of  the 
stage  was  to  have  the  theatre  immediately  closed,  "  once  and 
forever,"  and  to  declare  invalid  the  contract  by  which  the 
stockholders  had  leased  the  building  to  the  managers  for  a 
number  of  years  ;  but,  when  it  was  argued  that  such  a  pro- 
ceeding would  be  manifestly  unjust  to  both  parties,  they 
consented  that,  in  the  contemplated  legislation  there  should 
be  some  provision  respecting  the  lease,  or  that  arrangements 
should  be  made  for  the  purchase  of  the  theatre,  as  it  stood, 
for  about  $2,400.  Influences  were  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
town  authorities,  and,  on  the  27th  of  January  the  petition 
was  presented  for  their  approbation  to  the  town  council,  who 
passed  a  resolution  that  the  law  prayed  for  would  be  highly 
beneficial  to  the  town,  and  recommended  the  General  Assem- 
bly to  enact  the  same. 

Early  in  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  which 
convened  Feb.  24,  1812,  the  petition  was  presented,  and 
Saturday,  the  29th,  set  down  for  the  day  of  hearing.  At  the 
appointed  time  the  subject  was  debated.  John  Whipple, 
then  a  young  man,  appeared  at  the  bar  of  the  House  in 
behalf  of  the  petitioners,  and  Tristam  Burges,  whose  adver- 
tisement proffering  his  services  of  an  advocate  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  was  about  that  time  conspicuous  in  the  Provi- 
dence newspapers,  represented  their  opponents.  Mr.  Whip- 
ple did  not  on  this  occasion  display  those  talents  which  a  few 
years  afterward  made  him  so  eminent ;  yet  he  was  not  want- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  53 

ing  in  zeai,  not  to  say  ferocity  of  manner  and  language.  He 
denounced  the  drama  as  a  species  of  black  art,  which  had 
debased  mankind,  and  had  incurred  the  vengeance  of  the 
Almighty.  He  was  so  unsparing  of  his  denunciations  that 
he  injured  the  cause  he  was  advocating.  Mr.  Whipple  had 
little  sympathy  for  the  written  or  the  acted  drama,  and  has 
been  heard  to  avow  that  he  had  never  witnessed,  and  never 
would  witness,  a  theatrical  performance. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Helen  Whitman,  the  poet,  told  Mr.  Charles 
Blake  that  she  remembered  Mr.  Whipple  as  a  regular  visitor 
of  the  theatre  during  the  first  engagement  of  Clara  Fisher, 
and  that  he  was  a  great  admirer  of  Miss  Kelly  in  1828.  It 
is  probable  that  his  sentiments  respecting  the  influence  of 
theatres  were  modified  in  his  later  years. 

Mr.  Burges  created  a  profound  impression  by  his  defence 
of  the  drama.  He  reviewed  its  history  from  the  earliest 
times,  and  urged  that,  if  it  became  debased,  it  was  by  reflect- 
ing the  public  mind  ;  its  own  natural  tendencies  being 
elevating  and  refining.  He  showed  the  erroneousness  of  the 
statements  of  the  petitioners,  and  made  tatters  of  their  argu- 
ments, in  a  speech  abounding  in  quaint  metaphor  and  cutting 
irony.  He  was  frequently  interrupted  by  the  applause  of  his 
hearers,  and  the  concluding  portion  of  his  address  produced 
such  an  effect  that  after  he  had  resumed  his  seat  a  long 
pause  ensued,  as  though  no  one  felt  competent  to  proceed. 

After  a  short  interval  it  was  voted  to  postpone  the  further 
consideration  of  the  subject  in  the  House,  and  to  refer  the 
petition  to  a  special  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  one 
member  from  each  county,  who  were  instructed  to  hear  the 
allegations  and  evidence  upon  both  sides  of  the  question. 
This  postponement  was  deemed  equivalent  to  a  defeat,  and 
gave  great  offence  to  the  promoters  of  the  petition.  The 
Patriot  asserted  that  that  course  was  determined  upon  be- 
cause "federalism  feared  a  falling  off  of  some  of  her  disciples, 
however  the  question  might  be  decided,  and  dared  not  meet 
it  until  after  election." 

The  committee  met  at  the  Court  House  in  Providence  on 
the  16th  of  March,  and  proceeded  to  hear  the  evidence 
adduced  for  and  against  the  petition.  The  testimony  showed 
that  the  inmates  of  the  house  of  Mr.  E.  Talbot,  which  was 
situated   next   west   of  the   theatre,  were  inconvenienced  by 


54  HISTORY    OF    THE 

nuisances  committed  in  the  vicinity,  and  were  often  in  fear 
of  fire.  Farther  than  that,  not  much  was  proved  against  the 
theatre,  although  one  of  the  counsel  read  many  lewd  pas- 
sages culled  from  the  works  of  dramatic  writers,  and  endeav- 
ored to  convince  the  committee  that  the  plays  performed 
nightly  before  modern  audiences  were  equally  vile  and  de- 
moralizing. After  hearing  both  sides  in  full,  the  committee 
expressed  no  opinion ;  but  upon  consultation  among  them- 
selves it  was  ascertained  that  two  of  them  favored  the  peti- 
tion, while  three,  constituting  a  majority,  were  opposed  to  it. 
They  then  separated,  and,  at  the  June  session  made  a  verbal 
report,  reciting  the  facts  and  making  no  recommendation. 
They  were  then  discharged,  two  of  them  receiving  compen- 
sation for  their  services. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  petition  was  at  this 
time  surreptitiously  abstracted  from  the  Assembly,  and  has 
never  been  returned  to  the  files. 

Now  for  a  piece  of  secret  history.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
day's  session  of  the  committee,  Mr.  Halsey  (T.  L.,  Sr.,)  in 
some  manner  received  an  intimation  that  two  of  the  members 
had  concluded  to  vote  to  recommend  the  passage  of  the  act 
prayed  for  in  the  petition,  two  were  in  opposition  to  it, 
and  one,  whose  name  need  not  be  disclosed,  was  in  a  state 
of  indecision.  This  latter  member  had  never  seen  a  play, 
and  apparently  had  no  idea,  indistinct  or  otherwise,  concern- 
ing a  theatre.  He  was  as  uncouth  and  ignorant  a  country- 
man as  ever  plodded  beside  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  could  com- 
prehend neither  argument  nor  description.  He  wore  a  long 
blue  overcoat,  with  immense  side  flaps,  a  high  collar,  and 
large  buttons,  apparently  a  transmitted  heir-loom  in  his 
family  ;  and  also  walked  in  huge,  dusty  boots.  He  had  a 
vote,  and  to  win  that,  Mr.  Halsey  bent  his  mind.  He  paid 
court  to  him,  invited  him  home  to  dinner  at  his  house  on 
Prospect  Hill,  and  put  everything  the  place  afforded  at  the 
service  of  the  abashed  representative.  The  family  and  the 
servants  were  instructed  to  demean  themselves  with  the  ut- 
most deference,  while  Mr.  Halsey  himself  lost  no  opportunity 
of  waiting  upon  his  guest,  and  showing  how  fully  he  appre- 
ciated the  distinction  conferred  upon  his  house  by  a  visit 
from  a  member  of  the  legislature.  After  dinner  the  repre- 
sentative said  he  must  go  ;  but  that  was  now  impossible,  for 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  55 

the  young  ladies,  who  readily  aided  their  father  in  his  scheme 
to  save  the  theatre,  had  conceived  such  an  affection  for  him 
that  he  must  needs  remain  and  hear  them  sing.  "  Did  the 
Squire  like  music?"  "  Wa'al,  the  Squire  didn't  know,"  and 
so  the  ladies  must  play ;  and  through  an  extensive  repertory 
they  played  and  sang,  recommending  this  and  that  to  the 
taste  of  their  guest.  The  host  was  anxious  for  his  opinion 
on  dancing.  The  Squire  had  formed  none,  and  so  nothing 
could  stay  the  ladies  from  executing  a  pas  de  deux  before 
him.  He  pronounced  it  pretty.  Another  was  called  for, 
and  then  another,  until  tea  was  announced.  The  Squire  had 
now  become  very  uneasy,  and  evidently  wanted  to  change  the 
scene,  but  did  not  know  how  to  get  away ;  and  when  he 
tried  to  signify  that  he  supposed  it  was  time  he  was  getting 
along  to  his  boarding-house  on  Christian  Hill,  he  perceived 
that  the  announcement  caused  the  family  such  grief,  that  he 
yielded  a  consent  to  remain  to  tea.  Once  seated  at  the 
board,  he  was  served  with  everything  that  was  at  hand,  dili- 
gent pains  being  taken  to  find  viands  to  his  liking.  During 
the  evening  all  contributed  to  entertain  him  at  the  same 
time  losing  no  opportunity  of  obtaining  on  all  subjects  the 
opinions  of  one  who  assisted  in  making  laws  for  the  State. 
Mr.  Halsey  brought  up  certain  questions  and  asked  instruc- 
tions in  regard  to  them.  It  was  surprising  how  completely 
in  unison  were  Mr.  Halsey's  views  with  his  on  almost  every 
point ;  and  on  the  subject  of  the  theatre  it  was  soon  apparent 
that  the  representative,  although  he  would  not  commit  him- 
self as  to  the  course  he  should  pursue,  intended  to  make  no 
very  vigorous  opposition  in  committee  to  the  side  favored  by 
his  entertainer. 

Night  at  length  came,  when  another  movement  was  made 
for  Christian  Hill,  and  the  same  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
doing  violence  to  the  expectations  of  the  family  that  the 
Squire  should  lodge  with  them.  It  was  evident  that  they 
had  set  their  hearts  upon  it,  and  he  had  not  the  strength  to 
resist.  The  procession  to  the  bed-chamber  was  imposing. 
Two  servants  led  the  way  with  the  candles  (tall  spermaceti 
candles  they  were,  in  silver  candlesticks),  while  the  host  and 
the  man  whom  the  host  delighted  to  honor,  followed.  "  This 
is  your  room,  Squire,"  said  Mr.  Halsey,  as  they  entered  the 
northeast  chamber,  its  stately  and  sumptuous  aspect  at  once 


56  HISTORY     OF    THE 

bewildering  and  subduing  the  Squire.  On  each  side  of  an  im- 
mense mirror  were  sconces,  every  branch  bearing  a  tall  candle 
lighted,  while  the  bed  with  its  heavy  carving,  its  cambric  pillow- 
cases, and  its  dainty  Marseilles  counterpane  stood  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  weary  guest.  He  was  shown  a  bell,  and  besought  to 
ring  it  if  he  should  have  need  for  anything,  and  then  all  with- 
drew. The  door  was  closed,  and  the  dazed  Squire  sank  upon  a 
chair,  and  helplessly  stared  at  the  surrounding  grandeur. 
Long  he  sat,  and  made  no  motion.  He  knew  that  he  was  a 
legislator,  a  man  of  great  influence,  and  the  superior  of  his 
entertainer,  but  he  was  crushed  with  the  homage.  He  was 
encumbered  with  no  luggage,  but  his  mere  presence  burdened 
him  beyond  relief.  The  night  was  far  advanced,  and  he  was 
still  sitting.  At  last  with  an  effort  he  rose,  turned  down  the 
counterpane,  divested  himself  of  his  coat  and  boots,  and,  with 
the  candles  all  ablaze  lay  down,  waiting  for  the  morning,  and 
big  with  a  purpose. 

As  soon  as  the  first  streaks  of  Hay  were  visible  from  the 
east  window  he  donned  his  coat,  cautiously  opened  the  door, 
and  with  the  boots  in  his  hand  began  creeping  down  stairs. 
He  reached  the  bottom  without  discovery,  although  those 
stairs  creaked  as  they  never  did  in  honest  daylight,  and  was 
just  slipping  the  bolt  of  the  outer  door,  when  Mr.  Halsey 
suddenly  joined  him  with  a  hearty  greeting,  delighted  to  find 
the  Squire,  like  himself,  an  early  riser.  "  We'll  take  a  walk 
together,  Squire.  I  want  to  show  you  our  country  about 
here."  "  I'm  going  home."  "Oh,  not  until  after  breakfast, 
I  hope  ;  the  ladies  would  be  so  much  distressed."  "I'm  going 
home  now,"  repeated  the  Squire,  with  such  firmness  that  Mr. 
Halsey  no  longer  resisted,  but,  shaking  hands  with  him,  bade 
him  remember  that  whenever  he  came  to  town  the  Halsey 
house  was  to  be  his  home.  He  then  watched  the  Squire  turn 
down  Olney's  lane  with  his  boots  still  in  his  hands.  Whether 
he  put  them  on  before  reaching  Christian  Hill  is  not  known. 
Mr.  Halsey  extinguished  the  candles,  and  broke  the  intelli- 
gence to  his  family  that  they  should  that  morning  breakfast 
alone.  He  soon  afterwards  learned  that  when  the  vote  was 
taken  in  the  committee,  the  idol  of  his  family  had  proved  a 
staunch  friend  of  the  theatre. 

It  has  often  been  stated,  and  is  now  the  prevailing  opinion, 
that  no  legislation  ever  took  place  in  relation  to  the  subject 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  57 

of  the  petition  ;  and,  as  the  schedules  for  that  year  and  those 
succeeding,  contain  no  enactment  concerning  theatrical  exhi- 
bitions, such  is  the  natural  conclusion.  A  search  of  the 
Journals  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  of  the  Senate, 
however,  brings  to  light  some  interesting  disclosures.  We 
find  that  on  the  27th  of  February,  18 13,  a  law  was  enacted, 
having  passed  both  houses  on  that  day,  and  was  engrossed  at 
length  on  the  Journal  of  the  lower  House.  The  original 
draught  of  the  act  with  the  official  file  marks  thereon  is  in 
preservation  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  by 
inspection  of  it  we  are  enabled  to  learn  its  history,  and  to 
form  a  satisfactory  theory  touching  the  cause  of  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  act  after  its  passage. 

It  was  at  first  entitled,  "An  Act  prohibiting  Theatrical 
Exhibitions,"  and  contained  three  sections.  The  first  briefly 
and  peremptorily  prohibited  theatrical  performances  within  the 
State  ;  the  second  prescribed  the  penalties  to  be  incurred  by 
the  violation  of  the  first  ;  and  the  last  consisted  of  a  long 
provision  of  involved  construction,  excepting  the  Providence 
theatre  from  the  operation  of  the  law,  upon  certain  specified 
contingencies.  The  act  was  intended  to  have  especial  refer- 
ence to  the  Providence  theatre,  and  its  framers,  having  dis- 
covered in  the  preceding  year  that  there  was  but  little  pros- 
pect of  its  adoption,  cut  out  its  more  obnoxious  parts,  and 
then  presented  it,  thus  changed,  at  the  February  session  of  the 
year  1813.  These  changes  completely  altered  its  tenor.  The 
title  and  the  two  prohibitory  sections  were  stricken  out,  and 
over  them  was  wafered  a  paper  containing  in  another  hand 
the  amendments.  These  consisted  of  a  new  title  and  two 
sections.  Section  one  empowered  the  town  councils  of  the 
several  towns  to  license,  regulate,  and,  as  they  should  find  ex- 
pedient, prohibit  and  suppress  theatrical  performances.  Sec- 
tion two  prescribed  the  penalties  to  be  visited  upon  those 
who  should  give  or  permit  such  divertisements,  unlicensed 
by  the  town  council.  Section  three,  retained  from  the 
original  draught,  ran  as  follows  : 

"  Provided,  nevertheless,  that  three  judicious  and  impartial  men  shall 
be  appointed  by  the  town-council  of  the  town  of  Providence  l<>  appraise 
and  set  upon  the  present  theatre  in  said  town  and  the  lot  whereon  it 
stands,  the  full  valuation  it  would  hear  if  this  act  had  not  been  passed, 
which  valuation  they  shall  report  to  said   council,    and    shall    give    notice 


58 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


thereof  to  the  proprietors  of  said  theatre;  and  in  case  no  person  or  per- 
sons shall  present  [themselves]  within  sixty  days  to  purchase  said  theatre 
and  lot.  and  shall  make  and  execute  to  said  proprietors,  and  deposit  in  the 
hands  of  said  appraisers  for  the  benefit  of  said  proprietors,  a  good  and  suf- 
ficent  bond  or  bonds  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  appraisers,  stipulating 
therein  to  purchase  and  pay  for  said  property  at  a  full  and  a  fair  price  and 
valuation,  or  in  case  (said  bond  or  bonds  "being  executed  as  aforesaid) 
the  proprietors  shall  make  and  execute  and  deposit  in  the  hands  of  said 
appraisers  within  ten  days  after  notice  to  them  of  the  deposit  of  said  bonds 
as  aforesaid  a  good  and  sufficient  deed,  or  deeds,  as  aforesaid  of  their  right, 
title,  and  interest  in  said  theatre,  or  in  said  lot,  or  both  at  their  option, 
to  be  delivered  to  said  purchaser  or  purchasers  upon  payment  by  them  to 
the  appraisers  at  the  price  at  which  said  property  shall  be  valued,  or  (be- 
ing dissatisfied  with  said  valuation,  and  prosecuting  said  bond  or  bonds 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  further  valuation  by  a  jury.)  shall  within 
ten  days  after  the  verdict  of  one  jury,  and  judgment  thereon,  make,  exe- 
cute, and  deposit  such  deed  or  deeds  as  aforesaid  to  the  person,  or  persons 
signing  said  bond,  and  if  the  price  and  amount  of  compensation  for  said 
property  so  ascertained  shall  not  be  paid  into  the  hands  of  said  appraisers 
for  the  benefit  of  said  proprietors  within  sixty  days  after  the  deposit  ot 
said  deed  or  deeds  in  either  case  as  aforesaid,  then  and  in  either  of  the  be- 
fore stated  cases  the  provisions  of  this  act  shall  not  be  extended  to  theatri- 
cal exhibitions  in  said  theatre  in  the  town  of  Providence,  nor  shall  any- 
thing in  this  act  contained  be  construed  to  prohibit  or  suppress  the  same." 

Another  section  enabled  guardians  and  trustees  of  such 
stockholders  as  might  be  non  compotes  mentis,  or  under  age, 
to  make  valid  deeds  in  their  names. 

Such  was  the  act  after  amendment,  and  when  it  became  a 
law.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  passage.  It  bears  the 
file  marks  of  both  Houses  ;  it  is  engrossed  at  length  upon  the 
Journal  of  the  lower  House  ;  its  enactment  was  announced 
at  the  close  of  the  session  in  one  of  the  local  newspapers  ; 
and  the  town  council  of  Providence  promptly  proceeded  to 
act  in  accordance  with  its  provisions. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  council  held  March  22cl,  three  gentle- 
men were  appointed  a  committee  of  appraisement,  all  of 
whom  declined  serving  in  that  capacity.  The  next  week 
another  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Jonathan  Adams, 
John  Howland,  and  William  Church,  were  nominated  in  their 
place,  and  on  the  26th  of  the  succeeding  month  they  made  a 
report,  in  which  they  stated  that  they  had  appraised  the 
theatre  and  the  lot  on  which  it  stood  at  seven  thousand  dol- 
lars, estimating  the  value  of  the  building  at  five  thousand  six 
hundred  dollars,  and  that  of  the  lot  at  fourteen  hundred  dol- 
lars. Their  labors  then  ended.  What  action  may  have  been 
subsequently  taken  by  others  can  not  now  be  ascertained. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  59 

The  theory  offered  to  account  for  the  omission  of  this  act 
from  the  schedules  published  by  public  authority  is,  that  Mr. 
Eddy,  the  Secretary  of  State,  whose  duty  it  was  to  prepare 
the  legislative  enactments  for  publication,  had  personal 
knowledge  that  the  provisions  of  the  third  section  upon  the 
fulfilment  of  which  the  vitality  of  the  act  depended,  had  not 
been  complied  with,  because  no  purchaser  had  appeared 
within  the  stipulated  time  to  buy  the  theatre  at  its  appraised 
value,  and,  supposing  the  statute  thereby  virtually  repealed, 
did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  include  it  among  the  other  acts 
of  that  session,  which  made  their  appearance  under  his  sup- 
ervision in  the  month  of  October  following. 

The  law  thus  made,  and  thus  suppressed,  became  a  dead 
letter,  but  was  destined  to  be  resuscitated.  In  February, 
1820,  the  General  Assembly  appointed  Samuel  Eddy,  together 
with  the  Secretary  and  Attorney  General,  a  committee  to 
digest  the  laws  of  the  State,  and  to  propose  such  alterations 
as  they  should  deem  proper.  In  1 821,  at  the  January  ses- 
sion, Governor  Knight,  James  Fenner,  and  Thomas  Burgess, 
the  last  of  whom  had  in  1813  been  clerk  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  and  therefore  as  well  as  Mr.  Eddy  cognizant 
of  the  passage  of  the  act,  were  added  to  this  committee,  and 
the  digest  prepared  by  them  appeared  in  1822,  in  which  vol- 
ume the  resurrected  act  appears,  shorn  of  its  third  section, 
and  with  a  marginal  note,  thus  :  "  1813-22." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

1812. 

Panoramic  view  of  Providence— Engagement  of  George  Fred- 
erick Cooke— His  success  in  other  theatres  —  A  thunder 
storm  thins  the  audience— anecdote  of  thomas  l.  halsey— 
Anecdotes  of  Cooke— His  Death— His  Character— Phillips's 
Eulogy. 

THE  year  1812  marks  an  era  in  the  history  of  the 
Providence  theatre.  That  year  was  made  memorable  # 
by  the  appearance  on  its  boards  of  no  less  a  person- 
age than  the  illustrious  George  Frederick  Cooke,  an  actor 
of  transcendent  genius,  second,  to  none,  and  equalled  by  only 
one,  David  Garrick.  Impelled  by  his  erratic  genius,  he  who 
had  played  before  the  Majesty  of  England,  and  been  the 
admiration  of  the  nobility — he,  in  whose  train  artists  and 
critics  were  proud  to  follow — had  left  the  scene  of  his  tri- 
umphs, and  had  come  to  our  western  shores.  Now  after 
winning  new  laurels  in  all  the  American  cities  he  came  to  this 
little  town  to  interpret  the  words  of  Shakespeare,  and  to 
brighten  its  historic  page.  By  this  event,  the  people  of  Provi- 
dence were  enabled  to  witness  as  fine  acting  as  the  world  has 
ever  enjoyed,  and  then  the  name  of  their  town  became  for- 
ever associated  with  the  records  of  the  drama ;  for  in  this 
obscure  corner  George  Frederick  Cooke  played  his  last  part. 
In  many  a  place  to  which  the  fame  of  our  local  worthies, 
fondly  perpetuated  by  us,  can  never  penetrate — wherever  our 
noble  English  drama  is  studied  and  the  names  of  its  great 
lights  are  cherished — Providence  is  a  name  well  remembered 
for  the  distinction  it  thus  received. 

The  dramatic  season  commenced  on  the  29th  of  June,  with 
the  performance  of  the  romantic  and  affecting  play,  entitled 
"  Lovers'  Vows."  The  company  comprised,  besides  the  man- 
agers, Messrs.    Young,    Waring,   Clark,  Drake,    Robertson, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  6  I 

Spiller,  Barnes,  and  Entvvistle,  Mesdames  Powell,  Young, 
Barnes,  and  Drake,  Miss  Dillinger,  and  others. 

On  the  8th  of  July  a  new  act-drop,  which  had  recently 
been  painted  by  the  best  scenic  artist  of  the  day,  Mr.  War- 
rail,  from  drawings  made  by  him  two  or  three  years  before, 
was  exhibited  for  the  first  time.  It  was  a  panoramic  repre- 
sentation of  the  town  of  Providence,  as  viewed  from  the  old 
fort  on  Federal  Kill,  near  the  junction  of  Atwell's  avenue 
and  Broadway,  and  included  the  space  between  Meeting  street 
on  the  north,  and  Wickenden  street  on  the  south.  Its  me- 
chanical execution  is  excellent,  all  the  buildings  represented 
upon  it  being  painted  with  scrupulous  fidelity.  This  curtain 
was  for  a  year  or  two  displayed  two  or  three  times  a  season 
as  a  part  of  the  entertainments,  but  was  finally  appropriated 
to  its  legitimate  purpose.  It  is  still  in  a  tolerable  state,  of 
preservation,  and  is  the  property  of  the  Rhode  Island  His- 
torical Society. 

On  the  13th  of  July  Cooke  made  his  first  appearance  in 
Providence.  He  and  Mrs.  Cooke  left  New  York  by  the  Provi- 
dence packet  on  the  5th  of  July,  and  arrived  here  on  the  8th. 
His  fame  -had  preceded  him.  He  had  arrived  in  New  York 
from  England,  on  the  16th  of  November,  1810,  and  made  his 
debut  in  America  in  the  character  of  Richard  III  The  ex- 
citement among  the  citizens  was  intense.  The  throng  about 
the  theatre  was  so  dense  and  pressing  that  many  were  forced 
through  the  doors  without  payment.  On  his  entrance  he 
was  welcomed  by  twenty-two  hundred  spectators  with  thun- 
ders of  applause  ;  and  the  performance  excited  the  wildest 
enthusiasm,  more  than  gratifying  every  expectation.  He 
played  seventeen  nights,  and  the  receipts  of  the  managers 
were  twenty-one  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
dollars. 

He  played  in  Boston  and  Baltimore  with  similar  success  ; 
but  in  Philadelphia  the  citizens  were  almost  frantic  in  their 
eagerness  to  see  him.  On  the  Saturday  before  his  appear- 
ance the  streets  around  the  theatre  were  densely  blocked  by 
people  struggling  to  reach  the  box-office  to  secure  tickets  ; 
some  of  whom  had  spent  the  whole  of  the  preceding  night 
near  the  portico  in  order  to  be  the  earliest  on  the  ground 
when  the  office  should  be  opened.  He  began  his  engagement 
March  25,    181 1,  as  Richard  III.      The  ticket-holders  were 


62  HISTORY    OF    THE 

obliged  to  be  taken  through  the  back  entrance  of  the  theatre, 
over  the  stage  to  their  seats,  as  the  crowd  in  front  rendered 
access  by  the  usual  way  impracticable. 

He  made  several  visits  to  New  York,  and  in  January,  1S12, 
he  played  a  second  engagement  in  Boston,  where  the  rage 
for  seeing  him  was  so  great,  that,  though  the  weather  was  ex- 
ceedingly cold,  the  box-office  was  surrounded  from  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten,  the  hour  at  which  the  sale 
of  tickets  began.  It  is  said  that  during  one  of  these  Boston 
engagements  a  Providence  boy,  excited  by  the  reports  of 
those  who  had  witnessed  the  acting  of  Cooke,  and  fearing 
that  he  would  never  visit  Providence,  walked  to  Boston  for 
want  of  the  means  to  travel  by  the  usual  conveyance, 
and  then  beheld  the  renowned  actor,  and  felt  himself  com- 
pensated for  his  pains.  The  delirium  of  his  delight  when 
Cooke  actually  came  to  Providence  can  only  be  appreciated 
by  those  who  had  the  luck  to  witness  the  impersonations  of 
that  wonderful  genius. 

Mr.  Cooke  opened  on  Monday,  July  13th,  as  Shy  lock  in 
"The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  to  a  house  of  $268.50.  On 
Wednesday,  the  15th,  he  played  Richard  III.,  a  part  that  he 
had  wrested  from  John  Philip  Kemble,  to  a  house  of  $286.00. 
On  Friday,  the  17th,  Sir  Pertinax  McSycopliant  in  "The 
Man  of  the  World,"  to  $227.50  ;  on  Monday,  the  20th,  Mac- 
beth, to  $259.00 ;  on  Wednesday,  the  22d,  Pcnruddock  in 
"The  Wheel  of  Fortune,"  to  $165.75  ;  on  Friday,  the  24th, 
Zanga  in  the  "  Revenge,"  and  Sir  ArcJiy  McSairasam  in 
"  Love  a  la  Mode,"  to  $198.00.  This  was  the  last  night  of 
his  engagement,  but  he  was  reengaged  for  three  additional 
nights.  On  Monday,  the  27th,  he  played  Lear  to  $157.00  ; 
on  Wednesday,  the  29th,  Falstajf  in  "Henry  IV.,"  to  $93.50  ; 
and  on  Friday,  the  31st,  for  his  own  benefit,  Sir  Giles  Over- 
reach in  "A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts,"  to  $285.00. 

The  sums  given  above  as  the  receipts  of  each  night,  are 
the  takings  at  the  box-office  for  tickets  promiscuously  sold, 
but  it  is  to  be  recollected  that  many  of  the  best  seats  were 
occupied  by  the  stockholders,  who,  according  to  the  condi- 
tions of  the  lease,  paid  no  admission  fee.  The  audiences,  it 
will  thus  be  perceived,  were  therefore  larger  than  the  re- 
ceipts alone  would  indicate. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  6 


0 


Cooke's  engagement  at  this  time  was  to  share  equally  after 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  to  have  a  clear  benefit. 
So  these  nine  nights  yielded  him  five  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars, a  very  large  sum  considering  the  population  of  the  town, 
many  of  whom  were  not  play-goers.  This  was  to  have  been 
his  last  engagement  prior  to  leaving  for  England.    . 

It  will  be  observed  that  there  was  a  remarkable  falling  off 
in  the  receipts  on  the  29th  of  July,  when  Falstaff  was  played. 
He  had  undertaken  the  character  to  oblige  his  friend  Colonel 
Blodget,  and  on  the  evening  in  question,  before  the  rising  of 
the  curtain,  there  occurred  a  violent  thunder-storm,  and  very 
few   had   gathered   to  witness  the  performance.     Mr.  Cooke 
looked  at  the  empty  boxes,  and  then,  addressing  the  manager, 
said,  "What    shall  we  do — postpone  the  play  ?"     "  Oh,  no  ; 
that  is  not  according  to  the  rule  of  the  Boston  theatre  ;    we 
always  play  ;  good  houses,  or  poor  houses,"    was  the  reply. 
■"Why,"   said   Cooke,    "there  are  not  twenty  dollars   in!" 
"The  Boston  theatre  has  been  opened,  and  the  whole  per- 
formance given,  when    there  were  only  nine  dollars   in  the 
house,"  replied  the  manager.     "  Well,   then,    we   will  play," 
said  Cooke.     Before  the  curtain  went  up  the  house  was  pretty 
well  filled,  for   Mat.    Williams's  hack,  the  only  public  vehicle 
that  Providence  then  possessed,  had   made   repeated  calls  at 
the  theatre,  delivering  each  time  a  load  of  eager  occupants.1 
Cooke's    Falstaff  was  far  from  being  his  best  impersona- 
tion, yet  in  many  respects  it  was  delightfully  unctuous.     An 
expression  of  Mr.    Harwood,  the  box-keeper,  in  his  admira- 
tion of  his  acting,  obtained  currency,  because  recognized  as 
apposite.     In  the  passage  where  Falstaff  recounts  his  pro- 
digious deeds  of  daring,  and  exaggerates  the  number  of   his 
assailants   until    the  Prince,  unable  to  endure  his  shameless 
mendacity,  reveals    the    truth,  Cooke,  thus  caught,  instantly 
replies  :    "By  the  Lord,  Harry,  I  knew  ye,"  etc.      As  he  be- 
gins the  remark  he  laughs,  and  Mr.  Harwood  used  to  protest 
that  he  saw  the  laugh  come  rippling  into  sight  at  his  ankles, 
and  then  spread  up  over  his  body  until  his  face  was  all  ablaze 
with  drollery,  and   his  frame  shaking  like  jelly.     "I  saw  his 
ankles  laugh,"  said  Harwood. 

1  Clapp's  Record  of  the  Boston  St;iu>-. 


64  HISTORY    OF    THE 

S.  S.  Southworth,  the  veteran  journalist,  has  recorded  the 
following  incident,  which  occurred  at  this  time.  One  of  the 
most  honored  citizens  of  the  town  was  Thomas  Lloyd  Hal- 
sey,  a  man  of  large  fortune,  of  irascible  temperament,  and 
great  fondness  for  theatrical  entertainments.  He  had  al- 
ways been  a  patron  of  the  theatre,  and  had  supported  it  with 
his  influence  and  his  purse.  His  vigorous  action  in  its  de- 
fence, when  its  enemies  were  urging  their  petition  for  its 
suppression  made  him  particularly  conspicuous,  and  of  his 
adroit  management  of  legislative  committees,  when  the  inter- 
ests of  the  drama  were  at  stake,  an  illustration  has  been  al- 
ready given.  On  the  night  when  Cooke  was  playing  Sir 
Giles  Overreach — at  that  point  where  he  is  overwhelmed  by 
the  production  of  the  forged  parchment — Mr.  Halsey  became 
so  excited  that  he  involuntarily  rose  from  his  seat,  and  ejac- 
ulated in  the  presence  of  a  crowded  audience,  "Throttle  the 
damned  infamous  villain  !  "  to  the  amazement  and  horror  of 
the  whole  assembly. 

This  outburst  of  such  an  impulsive  person  as  Mr.  Halsey, 
is  to  be  regarded  as  strong  testimony  to  the  genius  of  the 
matchless  Cooke,  whose  personations  of  the  malignant  pas- 
sions have  never  been  equalled.  His  representation  of  the 
infernal  craft  of  the  super-subtle  Iago,  once  procured  for  him 
similar  testimony  ;  for  such  was  the  profound  dissimulation 
and  treachery  he  manifested  in  his  rendition  of  the  charac- 
ter, that  he  excited  a  hiss,  which,  considering  its  cause,  was 
the  highest  compliment  that  could  be  awarded. 

Mr.  Cooke  regularly  attended  to  his  professional  duties 
during  his  stay  in  Providence  ;  and  never  played  better  in 
his  life ;  his  efforts  here  surpassing  those  at  Boston.  Al- 
though he  lived  a  considerable  distance  from  the  theatre,  on 
Benefit  street,  at  the  Golden  Ball  Inn,  now  known  as  the 
Mansion  House,  he  walked  to  and  from  it  every  morning,  and 
on  the  evenings  of  performance,  and  never  missed  a  re- 
hearsal, or  disappointed  the  audience.  Every  day  as  he  came 
down  Thomas  street  on  his  way  across  the  river,  he  stopped 
at  Thurber's,  near  the  foot  of  the  street,  to  regale  himself 
with  oysters.  At  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  called 
at  the  post-office  and  spent  half  an  hour  chatting  with  Mi- 
Gabriel  Allen,  who  was  then  acting  as  postmaster.  Wher- 
ever he  moved  he  was  followed  by  curious  eyes,  being  as  much 


PROVIDEJsXE    STAGE.  65 

an  object  of  general    interest   as  President  Monroe  became, 
when  he  visited  the  town  five  years  later. 

Many  persons  who  were  living  until  quite  recently,  spoke 
with  enthusiasm  of  the  genius  of  this  wonderful  man,  who 
not  only  astonished  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  talents,  but  de- 
lighted by  the  clearness  of  his  articulation.  His  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  English  language  was  faultless,  and  it  used  to  be 
said  that  none  could  appreciate  the  beauties  of  the  language 
until  he  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  Cooke ;  while  his  acting 
was  of  such  excellence  that  the  efforts  of  the  vaunted  prodi- 
gies who  succeeded  him  were  barely  tolerable  in  comparison 
with  his.  But  it  was  his  eminence  in  elocution,  more  than 
his  fame  as  an  actor,  that  drew  to  the  theatre  during  his  en- 
gagement all  of  the  bar,  the  rector  of  the  church,  and  the 
pastors  of  several  of  the  other  religious  societies  of  the  town, 
one  of  the  most  able  of  whom  afterwards  forsook  his  former 
vocation,  and  became  a  prompter  in  a  New  York  theatre. 
There  were  some  other  persons  present,  who  had  never  be- 
fore witnessed  the  performance  of  a  play.  Amos  M.  Atwell 
took  his  son,  Samuel  Y.,  then  a  young  lad,  but  in  after  years 
distinguished  as  a  lawyer,  to  every  one  of  Cooke's  perform- 
ances, and  when  certain  acquaintances  remonstrated  with  him 
for  adopting  a  course  so  likely,  as  they  said,  to  create  a  taste 
for  such  an  absorbing  and  deleterious  amusement,  he  an- 
swered that  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  giving  his  son  a  per- 
manent distate  for  the  stage  that  he  treated  him  in  this  un- 
usual manner  :  "for,"  said  he,  "after  the  boy  has  seen  Cooke 
he  never  will  endure  second-rate  acting — his  theatre  clays  will 
then  be  over." 

It  has  been  related  that  the  managers  used  stratagems  to 
keep  Cooke  in  a  fit  condition  to  perform,  and  that  once  when 
they  had  locked  him  in  his  room  at  the  inn  to  prevent  him 
from  obtaining  the  means  of  intoxication,  he  outwitted  them 
by  bribing  a  servant  to  bring  him  a  bowl  of  punch  and  a 
straw,  and  with  the  straw  sucked  the  liquor  through  the  key- 
hole, thus  solacing  himself  for  the  inconvenience  of  his  im- 
prisonment. But  slight  credence  can  be  given  to  the  story, 
inasmuch  as  it  as  been  related  of  others,  and  as  it  was  in- 
consistent with  the  violent  temper  of  Cooke  to  brook  re- 
straint. 


66  HISTORY    OF    THE 

A  mistaken  impression  has  prevailed  that  he  was  an  ha- 
bitual drunkard  ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
abstain  for  months  at  a  time  from  intoxicating  liquors,  and 
then  to  indulge  for  a  few  days  in  riotous  excess.  When  he 
came  to  Providence  he  had  just  partially  recovered  from  a  se- 
vere attack  of  the  liver  disease,  and  dropsical  symptoms  had 
begun  to  manifest  themselves.  He  was,  therefore,  following 
a  regimen  dictated  by  prudence,  and  not  until  the  close  of 
his  engagement  did  he  make  the  slightest  departure  from  it. 
He  then  went  to  Boston  for  a  few  days,  but  soon  returned  to 
Providence,  where  he  fell  into  the  society  of  certain  convivial 
spirits,  and  was  again  seduced  into  intemperate  habits.  It 
ought,  perhaps,  to  be  stated  that  on  one  of  the  nights  of 
performance  he  had  made  such  a  lapse  from  the  abstemious 
course  he  had  determined  upon,  that  when  he  went  to  the 
theatre  it  appeared  doubtful  whether  he  would  be  capable  of 
going  through  with  the  play ;  but  though  reeling  when  off 
the  stage,  as  soon  as  he  showed  himself  in  the  scene  all  traces 
of  intoxication  vanished,  and  he  became  master  of  himself, 
and  of  all  the  passions  that  sway  mankind. 

After  his  return  from  Boston  he  was  frequently  seen  in 
lamentable  plight,  staggering  in  the  streets,  or  resting  upon 
house-steps.  One  of  his  haunts  was  Esek  Eddy's  bowling 
saloon,  which,  situated  at  the  back  of  the  Cove,  was  a  place 
of  general  resort,  and  here  he  occasionally  procured  the  means 
of  exhilaration.  One  afternoon  while  there  he  became  so  far 
overcome  with  liquor  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  walk,  but  he 
managed  without  assistance  to  reach  a  point  in  Thomas  street 
where  Noah  Smith  had  a  wheelwright's  shop,  a  little  east  of 
North  Main  street.  Mr.  Smith  was  at  work  upon  the  body 
of  a  carriage  then  resting  upon  saw-benches  standing  on  the 
sidewalk.  When  Mr.  Cooke  gained  this  spot  he  sat  upon  the 
end  of  one  of  the  benches  to  rest  himself,  but  the  fumes  of 
the  liquor,  mounting  to  his  head,  stupefied  him,  and  he  fell 
upon  the  ground.  Mr.  Smith  hastened  to  his  assistance,  and 
helping  him  to  rise,  led  him  to  the  inn. 

This  imprudent  mode  of  life  made  sad  havoc  with  his 
health,  and  very  soon  his  dropsical  symptoms  increased  to 
such  an  alarming  degree  that  it  was  feared  he  could  not 
survive  a  removal  to  New  York,  where  his  wife's  kindred 
lived.     He  was,  however,  removed   thither,  but  death  soon 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  67 

ensued.     He  breathed  his  last   on   the  26th  of  September, 
1 81 2,  in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age. 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  the  Stranger's  Vault  of  St. 
Paul's  church-yard.  When  Edmund  Kean  was  in  this  coun- 
try he  was  pained  to  find  that  no  monument  had  been  erected 
to  the  memory  of  the  departed  genius,  and  he  accordingly 
determined  to  erect  one.  The  monument  was  finished  on 
the  4th  of  June,  1821,  and  placed  over  the  remains  which  had 
been  removed  to  a  suitable  spot  in  the  burial-ground  on  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Vesey  street.  It  is  a  work  of  dura- 
bility and  taste,  and  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"  Erected  to  the  memory  of 

GEORGE  FREDERICK  COOKE, 

By  Edmund  Kean,  of  the  Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane, 

1  82  1  . 

Three  kingdoms  claim  his  birth. 

Both  Hemispheres  pronounce  his  worth." 

Mr.  Cooke  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  and 
scrupulously  neat  in  his  dress.  His  manners  were  dignified, 
self-possessed,  and  courteous.  His  nose  was  prominent,  in 
shape  between  the  aquiline  and  the  Roman  ;  his  eyes  were 
full,  brilliant,  and  satirical  in  expression  ;  and  his  complexion 
singularly  clear  and  beautiful.  He  wore  when  in  Providence, 
a  blue  coat  with  gold  buttons,  breeches,  and  top  boots,  his 
hair  being  powdered  and  worn  in  a  queue.  No  one  would 
suppose  from  his  appearance  that  he  had  any  proclivity  for 
indulgence  in  intoxicating  liquors  ;  but  would  set  him  down 
as  a  precise,  well-bred  "gentleman  of  the  old  school."  In 
society  he  was  affable,  and  his  conversation  gave  evidence  of 
excellent  judgment,  and  a  well-stored  mind.  At  those  inter- 
vals when  he  gave  way  to  his  only  vice  he  never  lost  his  pre- 
cise air,  though  he  became  overbearing  in  his  assumption  of 
superiority,  and  occasionally  fierce  in  his  vituperations.  At 
such  times,  in  the  very  tempest  and  whirlwind  of  his  passion, 
he  never  evinced  any  malignity,  but,  on  the  contrary,  by 
some  chance  expression,  gave  indisputable  evidence  of  a 
noble  nature.  It  is  related  that  once  after  receiving  ^400 
in  bank  notes,  he  thrust  the  whole  amount  into  the  fire  in 
order  to  put  himself  on  a  level  to  fight  a  man,  in  a  pot-house 


68  HISTORY    OF    THE 

row,  who  had  said  that  Cooke  provoked  him  to  battle  because 
he  was  rich  and  the  other  poor ! 

One  of  his  most  striking  peculiarities  was  his  indifference 
to  the  results  of  his  caprices.  While  never  condescending  to 
propitiate  his  audiences,  he  not  unfrequently  treated  them 
with  open  contempt.  During  his  stay  in  Providence  it  ap- 
pearing probable  that  he  intended  to  neglect  the  perform- 
ance on  one  occasion  for  another  occupation,  two  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  citizens  called  on  him  and  urged  him  to 
keep  his  engagement,  if  only  out  of  regard  to  them,  they 
being  as  they  sought  to  impress  upon  his  mind,  the  "  no- 
bility "  of  Providence.  At  this  announcement  the  tragedian 
became  exasperated,  and  returned  such  an  answer  that  the 
ambassadors  beat  a  precipitate  retreat,  carrying  with  them 
the  conviction  that  Cooke  was  a  low  fellow,  unable  to  com- 
prehend the  delicacy  of  gentle-folk.  This  answer  wicked 
people  of  the  baser  sort  have  not  yet  forgotten. 

When  in  Boston  he  once  indulged  his  capricious  mood  and 
kept  his  audience  waiting  until  their  patience  was  nigh  ex- 
hausted. The  managers  humbly  suggested  that  the  cream  of 
Boston  society  were  waiting  his  pleasure.  "Let  them  wait," 
said  he  with  a  contemptuous  sneer,  "  I've  made  the  King  of 
England  wait !" 

During  one  of  his  early  appearances  in  New  York,  he  is 
said,  being  elated,  to  have  refused  to  act  till  the  orchestra 
had  played  "God  save  the  King";  and  then  insisted  with 
tipsy  gravity  that  the  audience  should  be  "  upstanding."  1 

When  playing  an  engagement  in  Liverpool,  he  was  called 
on  to  offer  an  apology  for  some  offence  on  the  stage.  Liv- 
erpool merchants  had  much  fattened  then  by  a  fortunate 
pushing  of  the  trade  in  human  flesh.  "  Apology !  from 
George  Frederick  Cooke  !  "  he  cried  ;  "  take  it  from  this  re- 
mark :  There's  not  a  brick  in  your  infernal  town  which  is 
not  cemented  by  the  blood  of  a  slave  !  "  l 

To  the  actors  who  supported  him  in  his  renditions  he  was 
ever  courteous,  his  conduct  in  this  regard  being  in  charming 
contrast  to  the  insolent  demeanor  of  Cooper,  and  of  many 
other  of  the  stars,  who  in  return  for  certain  pelf  deign  to 
exhibit  their  glory  in  provincial  theatres. 

The  late  Edward  Simpson,  who  had  no  friendship  for  him, 

i  Dunlap's  Annals  of  the  English  Stage. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  69 

said  that  he  never  saw  him  vexed  with  an  actor  but  once. 
He  had  been,  after  many  importunities,  induced  to  play 
Hamlet,  a  character  for  which  he  certainly  was  not  fitted, 
and  in  assenting  he  made  a  positive  stipulation  that  the 
Ghost  should  be  sustained  by  an  old  stager,  named  Chapman, 
in  whom  he  had  great  confidence.  "My  success  in  the 
part,"  said  Cooke,  "  depends  on  the  correctness  of  the  Ghost, 
and  Chapman  is  my  man."  Chapman  was  what  is  called  "a 
conscientious  actor,"  and  he  was  delighted  when  he  was  in- 
formed that  the  Ghost  had  been  entrusted  to  him  at  Cooke's 
especial  instance.  Such  a  compliment  he  could  not  estimate 
too  highly,  and  he  resolved  to  make  the  part  realize  Cooke's 
expectations.  At  rehearsal  he  appeared  "letter-perfect,"  and 
received  his  instructions  with  profound  deference  ;  and  when 
the  night  came  for  him  to  immortalize  himself  he  was  un- 
usually attentive  to  business.  Being  somewhat  advanced  in 
years,  he  wore  spectacles ;  and  when  the  cue  was  given  for 
his  entrance  he  was  standing  at  the  wings,  spectacles  on 
nose,  looking  over  his  part.  Responding  at  once,  he  pre- 
sented himself  in  spectacles  to  the  horror  of  Hamlet,  and 
amid  deafening  peals  of  laughter  from  the  audience.  A 
ghost  in  spectacles !  Cooke  lost  all  patience,  denounced  the 
unlucky  and  confounded  actor,  and  vowed  he  never  would 
attempt  Hamlet  again. 

Every  one  must  abhor  the  vice  to  which  Mr.  Cooke  was 
addicted.  It  was  indeed  a  grievous  fault,  and  has  furnished 
a  subject  on  which  the  opponents  of  the  stage  delight  to 
dwell,  while  they  forget  to  touch  upon  his  lavish  charities, 
and  to  relate  how  the  greater  portion  of  his  large  income  was 
distributed  among  the  sick  and  needy ;  yet  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  incidents  of  his  life,  can  suggest  circum- 
stances which  palliate  the  offence,  and  turn  indignation  into 
pity.  Mr.  Cooke's  parents  deeply  resented  his  adopting  the 
stage  as  a  profession,  and  died  without  forgiving  him,  exclud- 
ing him  from  his  little  patrimony.  Opinions  may  differ  as  to 
the  amount  of  constraint  parents  may  rightfully  use  in  con- 
trolling their  children's  choice  of  a  profession,  but  none  can 
justify  that  unrelenting  spirit  which  his  parents  showed  in 
not  pardoning  their  child's  opposition  to  their  preferences 
when  it  had  led  him  to  eminence,  and  when  after  years  of 
successful   toil  he  had  found  no  cause  to  repent   his  course. 


JO  HISTORY    OF    THE 

By  their  harshness  his  sensibilities  were  deeply  wounded, 
his  hopes  of  happiness  were  dissipated;  he  reproached  him- 
self for  unfilial  conduct,  and  when  he  could  no  longer  hope 
for  reconciliation  with  his  estranged  parents,  he  resorted  to 
the  wine-cup  for  Lethean  draughts. 

He  despised  himself  for  his  weakness,  and  filled  his  diary 
with  humilating  confessions.  The  recollection  of  the  impro- 
prieties he  committed  when  intoxicated  was  always  present 
to  him,  and  shame  made  him  avoid  society,  and  plunge 
deeper  into  ruin.  Had  he  faithful  friends  he  might  have 
been  rescued  ;  but  he  knew  not  the  sweets  of  friendship. 
Although  surrounded  by  flatterers,  and  a  frequent  guest  at  the 
tables  of  the  rich,  he  had  sufficient  penetration  to  discrimi- 
nate between  friendship  and  ephemeral  popularity  which  he 
derived  from  the  display  of  his  histrionic  abilities.  Travelling 
from  city  to  city,  and  from  country  to  country,  he  had  no 
settled  home,  and  his  isolated  position  as  an  actor  also  mili- 
tated against  the  cultivation  of  the  social  relations.  Thus 
alone  in  the  world,  he  had  ample  opportunity  for  bitter  reflec- 
tions, and,  when  these  became  too  oppressive,  wine  came  to 
his  relief. 

While  Mr.  Cooke  was  in  this  country  a  number  of  portraits 
of  him  were  painted,  one  by  Stuart  in  Boston,  and  several 
by  Dunlap  ;  but  the  finest  of  all  was  painted  by  Sully,  repre- 
senting him  as  Richard  III.  It  now  adorns  the  Philadelphia 
Academy,  and  is  not  only  a  truthful  portrait  of  the  great 
actor,  but  an  excellent  Shakspearian  illustration. 

The  late  Mr.  C.  Leslie  when  an  unknown  lad  in  Philadel- 
phia, attracted  attention  to  his  own  talents  by  the  surprising 
readiness  with  which  he  caught  the  likeness  of  Cooke,  as  he 
was  playing  the  characters  of  Richard,  and  Sir  Pertinax 
McSycopJiaiit  in  that  city.  His  spirited  drawings  gave  such 
promise  of  future  attainments,  that  a  number  of  gentlemen 
contributed  to  send  him  for  competent  instruction  to  Eng- 
land, where  he  rose  to  distinction.  Several  engravings  were 
made  of  the  portraits,  and  for  many  years  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Cooke  were  hanging  upon  the  walls  of  the  citizens  of 
Providence. 

The  great  talents  of  Mr.  Cooke  were  undoubted,  and  when 
he  shook  off  the  debasing  habits  that  sometimes  clouded  his 
excellence,  he  commanded  the  admiration  of  all  the  critics, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  J I 

and  was  attended  by  all  the  literati  of  the  day.  Wherever 
he  played  he  won  victorious  wreaths,  and  his  path  was  bright 
with  glory.  Volumes  might  be  filled  with  adulatory  lines 
addressed  to  him,  but  no  one  more  feelingly  recites  his 
praises  than  Phillips  in  his  Emerald  Isle  : 

"  The  rival  muses  owned  the  alternate  reign, 
With  mutua'l  feelings  each  their  feuds  forsook, 
Combined  their  efforts,  and  created  Cooke. 
Pure  child  of  Nature  !  foster  child  of  Art ! 
How  all  the  passions  in  succession  rise, 
Heave  in  thy  soul,  and  lighten  in  thine  eyes! 
Beguiled  by  thee,  old  Time  with  aspect  blythe, 
Leans  on  his  sceptre,  and  forgets  his  scythe; 
Space  yields  its  distance,  ancient  glories  live, 
Ages  elapse,  remotest  scenes  revive — 
For  thee  creation  half  inverts  his  reign, 
And  captive  reason  wears  a  willing  chain." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

1812-1816.       * 

The  production  of  Cinderella— A  melancholy  incident  occasions 

GREAT  SCANDAL— REAPPEARANCE  OF   MRS.  WhITLOCK— MR.    ENTWIS- 

tle  in  Yorkshire  characters— Benefit  of  Mrs.  Barnes— The 
interior  of  the  theatre  decorated— mr.  and  mrs.  duff— re- 
APPEARANCE of  Cooper— Anecdote  of  "  Rule  a  Wife  and  Have  a 
AVife  "—Cooper's  Retirement  from  the  Stage— The  Great  Gale 
—Anecdote  of  Mr.  Legg— Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young— Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Powell— James  A.  Dickson. 

AFTER  the  departure  of  Mr.  Cooke  the  managers  were 
put  to  their  wits  to  devise  some  novelty  unusually 
attractive,  that  the  attendance  at  the  theatre  might 
not  diminish.  They  had  peculiar  disadvantages  to  combat  ; 
for  the  last  engagement,  though  perfectly  successful,  had 
exhausted  the  resources  of  the  humbler  patrons  of  the  theatre, 
while  the  richer  citizens,  after  enjoying  the  brilliant  person- 
ations of  a  "  mighty  actor,"  were  but  little  inclined  to  attend 
performances  which  would  now  seem  mean  and  contemptible. 
Still  farther,  the  whole  community  was  saddened  by  the 
recent  declaration  of  war  between  England  and  the  United 
States,  and  every  one  felt  averse  to  public  amusements  of 
any  kind.  The  news  of  that  event  had  reached  Providence 
near  the  close  of  Cooke's  engagement,  and  the  attendance  at 
the  theatre  was  perceptibly  diminished.  The  war  was  not 
popular  in  this  town.  The  bells  were  tolled,  other  demon- 
strations of  sorrow  were  made,  and  every  countenance  wore 
an  expression  of  grief.  The  23d  of  July,  181 3,  was  by  recom- 
mendation of  the  legislature  of  the  State,  observed  as  a  public 
fast  clay. 

At  such  a  crisis  nothing  could  be  so  remunerative  as  a 
spectacle.  Accordingly  a  pantomimic  show-piece,  founded  on 
the  nursery  tale  of  "  Cinderella,"  was  produced  with  much 
attention  to  stage  appointments  and  scenic  effects,  and  it 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  73 

realized  the  expectations  of  the  managers,  drawing  nearly  all 
the  families  of  the  town  to  the  exhibition. 

During  this  eventful  season,  and  while  as  yet  the  embers 
of  hostility  to  the  theatre  were  aglow,  there  occurred  a  melan- 
choly incident,  fraught  with  misery  to  a  peaceful  home,  and 
kindling  a  new  but  transient  indignation  against  actors  and 
plays.  An  actor  of  decided  merit  who  had  recently  arrived 
from  England,  and  had  made  his  first  appearance  on  our  stage 
on  the  opening  night  of  the  season  in  the  character  of  Fred- 
erick, in  "Lovers'  Vows,"  had  succeeded  in  enticing  a  young 
girl,  the  daughter  of  a  respectable  citizen,  from  her  home,  and 
had  clandestinely  married  her.  He  was  about  six  and  twenty 
years  of  age,  of  graceful  person,  and  fascinating  address. 
With  his  flattering  tongue  he  made  rapid  advances,  and  found 
an  easy  victim  in  one  who  at  his  first  approach  was  charmed, 
and  became  powerless  to  repel  his  advances.  A  brief  court- 
ship was  succeeded  by  a  flight  into  an  adjoining  state,  and  a 
marriage.  Almost  immediately  after  this  marriage  he 
neglected  to  provide  for  his  wife  the  ordinary  necessaries  of 
life,  treated  her  with  coldness  and  cruelty,  and  exasperated 
her  beyond  endurance  by  his  shameless  infidelities.  He  had 
the  hardihood  to  play  before  an  audience  incensed  by  his  con- 
duct. The  public  resentment  was  so  manifest  that  he  was 
discharged  from  the  theatre  ;  but  for  want  of  means  he  was 
unable  to  remove  from  town  until  the  end  of  the  dramatic 
season,  when,  assisted  by  one  or  two  of  the  company,  he  gave 
a  public  entertainment,  and  then  disappeared.  His  unhappy 
wife  returned  to  her  friends ;  a  divorce  was  easily  pro- 
cured, and  then  this  blighted  young  creature  remained  years 
buried  in  seclusion.  She  at  length  listened  to  the  proposals 
of  another  and  more  honorable  suitor,  and  marrying  a  second 
time,  removed  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  She  had  re- 
sided in  her  new  home  but  a  brief  period,  when  her  betrayer 
made  his  appearance  in  that  place,  and  married  again,  first 
having  engaged  in  a  duel  with  Mr.  Charles  Young,  whose 
wife  he  had  insulted.  The  incident  of  meeting  him  in  this 
remote  part  of  the  country,  where  she  and  her  husband  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  hope  of  finding  that  repose  and  retire- 
ment which  both  of  them  earnestly  desired,  produced  a  mel- 
ancholy depression,  which  finally  consigned  her  to  the  grave. 
It  was  afterwards  discovered  that  her  heartless  destroyer  had 


74  HISTORY     OF    THE 

run  the  same  career  in  England,  and  that  he  had  there 
abandoned  three  wives  before  coming  to  America.  It  is  re- 
lated that  these  deserted  women  all  came  to  America,  and 
that  the  three  on  one  occasion  by  some  accident,  were  brought 
into  each  other's  society. 

The  extraordinary  baseness  of  this  one  delinquent  was 
long  remembered  in  Providence,  and  operated  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  whole  theatrical  profession.  His  wickedness, 
great  enough  in  reality,  was  exaggerated,  and  by  many  be- 
lieved to  be  the  inseparable  characteristic  of  all  actors.  The 
unthinking  multitude  forgot  the  unblemished  reputation  of 
those  who  had  long  adorned  their  stage,  and  been  examples  of 
all  public  and  private  virtues,  and  indulged  in  violent  invectives 
against  all  who  were  connected  with  the  theatre.  Even  yet 
there  lingers  among  the  ignorant  some  suspicions  of  the  play- 
ers, and  though  no  one  institution  in  our  midst  had  borne  a 
more  honorable  record  than  the  theatre,  yet  let  some  obscure 
actor  make  a  false  step,  and  numbers  are  ready  to  bruit  it 
abroad,  and  visit  retribution  on  all  his  associates.  Let  the 
same  retribution  be  visited  upon  any  other  profession,  and 
is  there  one  that  could  bear  the  light? 

The  season  of  1813  began  on  the  4th  of  July.  The  addi- 
ditions  to  the  company  were  Messrs.  Cleary,  Johnson,  and 
McFarland,  with  Mesdames  Wheatley  and  McFarland.  On 
the  1 2th,  Mrs.  Whitlock,  who  had  been  engaged  for  three 
nights,  opened  as  Widozv  Cheerly.  She  had  lately  returned 
from  England,  and  was  making  a  tour  through  all  the  theatres 
of  the  country.  The  critics  thought  that  she  had  much  im- 
proved since  her  former  visit  to  America.  She  had  become 
very  large,  but  in  spite  of  her  corpulence  had  sufficient  talent 
to  force  admiration  of  her  acting  from  every  spectator.  On 
her  second  night  the  entertainments  were  under  the  patron- 
age of  a  number  of  literary  gentlemen  of  the  town,  on  which 
occasion  she  played  Lady  Macbeth  to  the  Macbeth  of  Mr. 
Cleary,  recited  Colins's  ode,  "  The  Passions,"  and  performed 
Catherine  to  Mr.  Young's  Petruchio.  She  remained  a  fourth 
night,  appearing  as  Elvira  for  her  own  benefit. 

After  her  departure  the  company  depended  upon  their  own 
exertions  in  standard  plays.  Mr.  Entwistle  appeared  to  much 
advantage  as  FartnerOldfield,  in  "  Speed  the  Plow."  He  was 
admired  in  all  Yorkshire  characters,  but  his  masterpiece  was 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  75 

Tyke,  in  "The  School  of  Reform."  It  was  a  splendid  piece 
of  acting,  and  one  which  has  never  been  surpassed.  Mrs. 
Duff,  a  very  competent  judge  of  playing,  used  to  say  that  she 
would  at  any  time  walk  five  miles  to  witness  his  personation 
of  the  character. 

Mrs.  Barnes's  benefit  on  the  16th  of  August,  proved  very 
remunerative.  She  had  seen  much  affliction  during  the  year, 
having  lost  both  her  husband  and  her  father,  the  old  favorite 
of  the  Providence  theatre,  Mr.  Bates.  She  undertook  the 
maintenance  of  her  young  brother,  and  was  entirely  depend- 
ent for  support  on  her  earnings  as  an  actress.  These  circum- 
stances awakened  general  sympathy  in  her  behalf,  and  called 
to  the  theatre  a  numerous  assemblage  on  the  night  set  apart 
for  her  benefit. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1814,  Mr.  Warrall  was  sent  here  to 
decorate  the  theatre.  Under  his  directions  the  embellish- 
ment was  completed  in  season  for  the  opening  night.  Over 
the  proscenium  was  an  Ionic  entablature,  the  freize  adorned 
with  a  gold  scroll  ornament.  On  the  centre,  resting  on  a 
tablet,  were  the  sterns  of  three  ships,  viz.  :  the  Ijidependencey 
supported  by  the  United  States  on  the  right,  and  the  Consti- 
tution on  the  left.  The  motto  on  this  tablet  was  :  "To  hold 
the  Mirror  up  to  Nature."  From  this  hung  a  crimson  cur- 
tain with  gold  fringe  and  tassels.  The  ceiling  of  the  pros- 
cenium was  divided  into  panels  of  purple  and  gold.  The 
dados  around  the  upper  tier  of  boxes  was  adorned  with  three 
tablets  ;  those  on  the  right  and  left  contained  representations 
of  vessels  which  had  signalized  themselves  ;  the  Wasp,  the 
Hornet,  the  Enterprise,  and  the  Peacock;  that  in  the  centre 
contained  the  Lawrence,  the  Niagara,  and  the  Caledonia. 
Rostrated  columns  bore  the  names  of  Hull,  Decatur,  Bain- 
bridge,  Lawrence,  Jones,  Burrows,  Washington,  and  Perry. 

The  stage  was  lighted  by  a  new  set  of  brass  lamps  with 
globe  glasses,  which  gave  brilliancy  of  effect,  and  were  a 
security  against  accident.  Many  of  the  scenes  were  entirely 
new,  being  the  work  of  Mr.  Warrall. 

At  this  time  that  class  of  plays  now  contemptuously  stig- 
matized as  "  contemporaneous  dramas  "  was  in  vogue,  and 
every  important  event  was  dramatized,  and  at  once  produced 
upon  the  stage.  The  victories  of  the  Americans  over  the 
British  forces  afforded  subjects  for  many  plays,   and  during 


j6  HISTORY    OF    THE 

each  season  two  or  three  of  these  novelties  were  presented 
to  the  public.  The  patriotic  piece  of  this  season  was  the 
"  Heroes  of  the  Lake,"  written  to  celebrate  Commodore 
Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie. 

The  company  consisted  of  Messrs.  Young,  Dixon,  Bray, 
Hughes,  Stockwell,  Legg,  W.  Jones,  Gardner,  Savage,  J.  Jones, 
and  Fennell,  Jr.  ;  also  Mesdames  Powell,  Young,  Mills,  Bray, 
Barnes,  and  Hughes,  Miss  White,  (who  soon  became  Mrs. 
Savage),  and  Miss  Stockwell  (who  afterwards  became  Mrs. 
George  H.  Barrett). 

The  star  of  the  season  was  Duff,  who  opened  in  the  mid- 
dle of  July,  and  played  a  series  of  tragedy  heroes  until  August 
5th.  His  performances  were  applauded  by  almost  all  the 
play-goers,  but  people  of  the  most  correct  taste  preferred  to 
see  him  in  comedy  and  farce,  for  which  he  was  best  qualified. 
As  an  actor  of  comedy  he  was  one  of  the  best  who  has  ever 
trod  the  American  stage,  but  as  a  tragedian  he  was  but  little 
above  mediocrity. 

He  had  been  the  leading  actor  at  the  Dublin  theatre,  where 
he  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Dickson,  and  came  with  Mrs.  Duff  to 
Boston  in  November,  18 10.  In  18  n  he  went  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  became  exceedingly  popular,  his  benefits  always 
netting  him  large  sums.  He  there  attracted  immense  audi- 
ences in  "  Three  and  the  Deuce,"  which  was  played  as  a  first 
piece,  and  soon  became  the  most  profitable  actor  that  any 
theatre  could  engage..  He  travelled  through  the  United 
States  as  a  star,  but  did  not  accumulate  so  much  money  as  he 
might  have  done  had  he  remained  in  Philadelphia.  He  be- 
came subject  to  attacks  of  gout,  which  sometimes  confined 
him  for  many  weeks  to  the  house.  He  was  extravagant  in  his 
habits,  and  too  much  disposed  to  conviviality.  On  his  visits 
to  Providence  he  made  his  home  at  the  Messer  place,  on 
Cranston  street.     He  died  in  183 1. 

Mrs.  Duff  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  that  ever 
appeared  upon  the  stage,  and  she  was  equally  conspicuous 
for  her  talents.  Her  maiden  name  was  Dyke,  and  she  and 
her  sister  had  been  dancers  at  the  Dublin  theatre.  This 
sister  married  the  celebrated  Thomas  Moore,  and  the  well 
known  song,  commencing 

"  Mary,  I  believe  thee  true," 
was  addressed  to  Mrs.  Mary  Duff. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  J  J 

Mr.  Dyke,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Duff,  was  a  subaltern  actor 
on  the  Irish  stage.  He  had  three  daughters  ;  the  eldest  mar- 
ried Mr.  Duff  ;  the  youngest  married  Mr.  Murray,  of  the  Edin- 
burg  theatre  ;  the  second,  Elizabeth,  married  the  poet,  Moore. 
They  were  all  on  the  stage  when  young,  as  dancers,  and  after- 
wards as  actresses.  In  both  these  capacities  they,  were  en- 
gaged to  fill  the  female  parts  in  the  Amateur  Theatricals  of 
Kilkenny  in  the  years  1809  and  18 10,  when  Moore,  then  one 
of  the  performers  (and  said  to  be  a  good  one),  became  ac- 
quainted with  them  and  enamored  of  Miss  E.  Dike.  These 
young  persons  were  always  under  the  care  of  their  mother, 
and  their  personal  characters  were  irreproachable.  Moore 
married  Miss  E.  Dyke,  March  22,  1811.1 

In  her  youth  she  had  manifested  no  inclination  for  the 
stage,  and  entered  with  but  little  spirit  into  the  business  of 
the  profession.  Several  years  later,  however,  she  astonished 
everyone  by  throwing  off  her  indifference,  and  appearing  be- 
fore the  audience  as  an  actress  of  splendid  talents. 

Her  husband's  improvidence  and  frequent  excesses  oc- 
casioned her  much  uneasiness.  She  passed  days  and  nights 
in  sorrowing  over  his  derelictions  of  duty,  fearing  that  in  the 
event  of  his  death  there  would  be  no  provision  for  her  child- 
ren, for  whose  welfare  she  had  ever  been  tenderly  solicitous, 
nurturing  them  in  the  practice  of  the  strictest  morality. 
Stimulated  by  her  maternal  affection  she  bent  her  energies 
to  the  mastery  of  the  most  difficult  characters,  and  after 
severe  study  showed  herself  capable  of  maintaining  a  high 
rank  in  her  profession.  During  the  engagement  of  the  great 
Kean,  she  played  opposite  parts  with  such  spirit,  that  once 
she  divided  the  applause  with  him.  It  is  said  that  he  disap- 
proved of  the  warmth  of  her  personation,  and  informed  her 
that  he  was  to  be  the  prominent  person,  whom .  she  was  to 
second,  and  not  seek  to  equal.  Mrs.  Duff  replied  that  she 
should  like  to  oblige  him  in  any  other  matter,  but  that  the 
maintenance  of  herself  and  her  children  depended  on  her  pro- 
fessional eminence,  and  that  she  felt  it  her  duty  to  act  in  such 
a  manner  as  would  best  further  her  interests  in  this  respect. 
She  spared  no  exertions,  and,  after  her  fame  had  become 
wide-spread,  she  travelled  through   the  United   States   as  a 

1  Note  to  Review  on  "  Memoirs  of  Thomas  Moore,"  Quarterly  Review.     Reprinted  in 
LitteWs  Living  Age,  Sept.  7,  1853. 


78  HISTORY    OF    THE 

star,  visited  England,  and,  in  March,  1828,  played  at  Drury 
Lane  theatre.  She  subsequently  returned  to  this  country, 
and,  after  she  became  a  widow,  retired  from  the  stage,  and 
married  a  member  of  the  New  Orleans  bar. 

She  was  an  actress  whose  power  lay  in  her  identification 
with  the  characters  she  assumed.  She  was  once  performing 
the  part  of  Mrs.  Haller,  and  so  deeply  was  she  imbued  with 
the  emotions  of  the  repentant  wife,  that  in  the  last  scene, 
where  the  interest  culminates,  she  swooned  outright,  fell 
upon  the  stage,  and  was  not  able  to  recover  until  assistance 
came  to  her  relief. 

The  season  of  181 5  began  St.  John's  Day,  June  26th,  with 
"The  Foundling  of  the  Forest,"  the  company  being  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green.  On  the  4th  of  July 
the  decorations  and  transparencies  which  had  been  exhibited 
in  Boston  at  the  Peace  celebration,  were  displayed  upon  the 
front  of  the  theatre. 

The  tragedian  Cooper  began  an  engagement  July  24th,  as 
Hamlet,  the  principal  characters  in  the  play  being  thus  dis- 
tributed :  King,  Hughes  ;  Polonius,  Bray  ;  Horatio,  W.  Jones  ; 
Laertes,  Legg  ;  Rosencrantz,  Fennell,  Jr.  ;  Guildeusteru,  Sav- 
age ;  Osric,  Clark ;  1st  Grave  Digger,  Bray ;  2nd  do.,  J. 
Jones;  Ghost,  Young;  Queen,  Mrs.  Mills;  Ophelia,  Mrs. 
Young ;  Player-queen,  Mrs.  Savage.  Towards  the  close  of 
his  engagement  Mr.  Cooper  was  supported  by  Mrs.  Williams, 
who  had  been  engaged  for  four  nights,  and  was  an  actress  of 
much  talent,  capable  of  playing  the  heroines  of  tragedy  and 
comedy.  For  his  benefit  he  personated  Leon  in  Beaumont 
and  Fletcher's  comedy  of  "  Rule  a  Wife  and  Have  a  Wife." 

The  selection  of  this  lively,  but  extremely  indelicate  com- 
edy was  not  made  by  Mr.  Cooper.  In  Providence  he  had 
many  admirers,  and  his  society  was  courted  by  all  the  promi- 
nent families  who  countenanced  the  theatre.  On  one  of  his 
off -nights  he  was  the  principal  guest  of  a  social  party,  and 
some  of  the  ladies  inquired  what  play  he  intended  to  produce 
for  his  benefit.  He  gallantly  answered  that  they  might  make 
the  selection.  They  received  the  proposition  with  pleasure, 
but,  being  unable  to  agree  in  their  choice,  they  at  last  de- 
cided to  refer  the  question  to  the  hostess,  Mrs.  T.,  who  at 
once  named  "  Rule  a  Wife  and  Have  a  Wife."  After  the 
representation  much  surprise  was  expressed  at  the  selection, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  79 

as  the  grossness  of  the  language  of  the  piece  gave  much  of- 
fence. Many  believed  that  the  lady  was  familiar  with  its 
character,  and  that  it  was  her  favorite  play  ;  but  it  is  more 
probable  that  she  was  completely  ignorant  of  everything  con- 
cerning it,  except  its  name,  and  this  she  flippantly  mentioned 
as  it  rose  in  her  memory. 

Thomas  A.  Cooper  arrived  in  this  country  from    England, 
in  1796.  and  soon  became  the  delight  of  the  American  stage, 
maintaining  the  highest  position  as  an  actor  for  about  thirty 
years.     In  his  visits  to  Providence  he  was  always   welcomed 
by  large  audiences,  and  was  the  pet,  the  idol  of  the  town. 
He  was  richly  endowed   in  voice,   person,  and   feature,   and 
possessed  all  the  other  qualifications  essential  to  distinguished 
success  upon  the  stage.     Macbeth  and  Othello  were  his   best 
Shakspearean  delineations,  and   his  Damon  has   never  been 
equalled  by   any  one  except   Edwin   Forrest.     He    received 
immense  sums  in  the  exercise  of  his  professional  talents,  but 
they  were  spent  in  sumptuous  living.     As  old  age  was  stealing 
upon  him  he  studied  no  new  parts,  but  confined  himself  to  an 
unvarying  repetition  of  a  few,  in  which  when  his  genius  shone 
in  its  meridian  brightness,  he  had  won  full-handed  thunders, 
and  consequently  he  declined  in  popular  favor.     For  a  while 
he  endeavored  to  maintain  his  old  position,  and  to  wrest  from 
the  audiences  that  applause  which  had  become  his  life  —  his 
more  than  daily  food  ;  but  at  length,  with   no   provision  for 
his  declining  years,  he  saw  that  his  day  had  passed,  that  new 
aspirants  for  dramatic  fame  were  rising  on  every   side,    and 
that  he  had  become  an   object  of  commiseration.     Then  he 
realized  the  truth  of  Doctor  Johnson's  sounding  line  : 

"  Superfluous  lags  the  veteran  of  the  stage." 

His  daughter  at  this  conjuncture  married  Robert  Tyler,  son 
of  President  Tyler,  who  procured  for  him  a  lucrative  office  in 
Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  removed  by  President  Polk. 
By  the  intercession  of  some  friends  he  was  at  length  ap- 
pointed an  examiner  in  the  New  York  custom  house,  and 
officiated  in  that  capacity  until  his  death  in  April,  1849. 

The  season  closed  on  the  13th  of  September,  with  Mrs. 
Powell's  benefit,  after  which  most  of  the  comedians  went  to 
Boston. 


SO  HISTORY    OF    THE 

On  the  23d  occurred  the  "great  gale."  A  tornado  from 
the  southeast  caused  the  tide  to  rise  to  an  unprecedented 
height,  and  to  inundate  the  streets  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  as  well  as  the  wharves  on  both  sides.  It  carried  away 
the  great  bridge,  and  extended  in  Westminster  street  beyond 
the  theatre.  The  vessels  in  the  harbor  broke  from  their 
moorings,  and  went  ashore,  at  the  head  of  the  cove.  One  of 
them'  floated  up  Weybosset  street  into  Eddy  street,  and 
grounded  with  her  bow  close  to  the  Webb  house,  nearly 
opposite  the  present  Boston  store.  Nearly  five  hundred 
buildings  were  destroyed,  and  the  loss  to  the  town  was 
estimated  at  more  than  a  million  of  dollars.  When  the 
water  had  subsided  a  ferry  afforded  means  of  communication 
between  the  two  sides  of  the  river  until  the  erection  of  a 
new  bridge.  The  novelty  of  this  arrangement  gave  delight 
to  Mr.  Joseph  Legg,1  one  of  the  actors,  and  he  found  much 
pleasure  in  crossing  and  recrossing.  The  first  day  that  the 
ferry-boat  made  its  trips,  he  spent  all  the  day  in  it,  to  the 
wonder  of  the  citizens,  who  were  unable  to  understand  how 
any  amusement  could  be  derived  from  such  an  occupation. 

The  gale  destroyed  the  salt-works,  near  Sabin's  Point,  a 
few  miles  down  the  river,  which  had  been  erected  by  a  com- 
pany of  speculators  upon  the  representations  of  James  Fen- 
nell,  the  celebrated  actor.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid  phys- 
ical proportions,  and  of  commanding  talents,  but  was  the 
most  visionary  of  speculators.  He  had  studied  law  in  Eng- 
land, had  tried  the  stage  and  won  a  high  reputation,  when 
he  suddenly  took  a  whim  to  visit  America.  In  every  theatre 
in  which  he  played  he  proved  exceedingly  attractive,  but  in 
Philadelphia  he  attained  a  degree  of  popularity  resembling 
adulation.  He  could  easily  have  acquired  a  fortune,  but  his 
devotion  to  the  wildest  projects  kept  him  always  poor,  and 
only  when  destitute  of  means  would  he  bestow  attention 
upon  his  profession.  He  had  once  visited  the  Bahamas,  and 
had  there  seen  salt  made  by  solar  evaporation.     Professing 

1  This  Mr.  Legg  was  a  young  man  of  much  personal  beauty,  and  in  light  comedy  won 
admiration  by  his  grace  and  elegant  manners.  Being  possessed  of  a  melodious  voice  and 
a  tine  figure,  he  became  a  great  favorite  w  itli  the  girls  of  Providence,  and  it  was  said  that 
many  ot  them  were  hopelessly  in  love  with  him.  He  was  attentive  to  his  professional 
duties,  and  never  presumed  on  his  great  popularity.  One  night  when  he  was  advertised 
in  the  part  of  Doricourt,  he  absented  himself  from  the  theatre,  and  the  next  day  his  admir- 
ers were  shocked  to  hear  that  he  had  gone  to  Boston  and  there  eloped  with  a  young  lady 
of  wealth.  His  marriage  proved  very  unhappy,  and  Legg  after  a  life  of  trouble  died  in 
Louisiana. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  5  I 

to  be  familiar  with  the  processes,  he  succeeded  in  inducing 
capitalists  to  assist  him  to  erect  salt-works  near  New  Lon- 
don, and  to  build  vats  under  his  direction  near  Sabin's  Point, 
about  the  year  1807.  These  projects  proved  unremunera- 
tive.  Pennell  was  denounced  as  an  impostor ;  numerous 
suits  were  commenced  against  him,  and  he  was  scarcely  free 
from  one  jail  before  he  was  consigned  to  another.  While  in 
Providence  he  became  engaged  to  the  widow  Suzman,  a  for- 
eigner then  residing  in  the  town ;  involved  her  property  in 
his  schemes,  and  was  dismissed  with  contumely.  He  strug- 
gled for  some  time  against  his  misfortunes,  still  clinging  to 
his  salt  theories,  and  finally  died  in  destitution  in  Philadel- 
phia, on  the  day  when  the  great  gale  destroyed  his  vats. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  this  season  took  their  farewell  of 
Providence,  where  they  had  always  been  favorites.  Mr. 
Young  was  finely  formed,  six  feet  in  height,  with  full  chest, 
erect  carriage,  and  clear  complexion.  He  was  not  distin- 
guished for  talents,  though  he  was  well  qualified  for  many  of 
the  characters  of  melodrama. 

His  wife  was  considered  by  many  the  most  beautiful 
woman  of  the  day,  and  counted  her  admirers  by  thousands ; 
but  her  beauty  was  not  of  an  intellectual  kind.  She  was 
rather  small,  well  formed,  and  had  a  beautiful  complexion. 
Her  talents  would  never  have  made  her  conspicuous,  but 
with  almost  every  one  her  beauty  atoned  for  all  her  deficien- 
cies. Her  husband  was  exceedingly  jealous  of  her  admirers, 
and  his  jealousy  once  involved  him  in  a  duel  in  Charleston, 
in  which  he  was  wounded. 

In  1 8 16  theatrical  performances  were  given  during  the 
month  of  July,  and  two  weeks  in  September.  Among  the 
new  faces  in  the-company  were  Messrs.  Williams,  Pelby  and 
Stamp,  and  Mrs.  Moore,  formerly  Mrs.  Woodham,  from  the 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  theatres. 

During  the  management  of  Powell  and  Dickson  the  last 
night  of  every  season  was  assigned  for  the  benefit  of  Mrs. 
Powell.  At  the  close  of  that  of  18 16  Mr.  Dickson  made  his 
first  appearance  in  two  years  to  perform  Sir  Peter  Tea 
On  this  occasion  the  editor  of  the  American  made  the  follow- 
ing remarks : 


82  HISTORY    OF    THE 

"Mrs.  Powell's  claims  on  the  esteem  and  patronage  of  the  public  are 
universally  allowed,  and  we  trust  that  those  who  admire  her  in  the  walks 
of  private  life,  will  give  this  evening  a  solid  proof  of  their  willingness  to 
encourage  the  excellence  they  have  the  discernment  to  discover,  and  the 
candour  to  approve." 

Mrs.  Powell  hardly  needed  the  editorial  recommendation 
to  secure  a  large  house,  she  being  too  well  appreciated  for 
that  to  be  indispensable.  Her  great  ability  as  an  actress, 
both  in  comedy  and  tragedy,  was  acknowledged  by  all  thea- 
tre-goers, while  her  private  character  was  admired  by  numer- 
ous friends.  She  was  the  cherished  companion  of  the  wives  of 
the  principal  citizens,  and  adorned  their  drawing-rooms  with 
that  grace  which  was  conspicuous  on  the  stage.  When  in 
Providence  she  always  attended  St.  John's  Church,  and  sat 
either  in  Colonel  Blodget's  pew,  or  that  of  J.  B.  Wood,  the 
esteemed  banker.  On  her  benefit  nights  the  theatre  was 
usually  crowded.  In  Boston  on  these  occasions  the  receipts 
used  to  exceed  a  thousand  dollars ;  and  here  they  sometimes 
reached  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars.  At  the  ordinary 
prices  the  house  could  not  contain  that  amount,  but  gentle- 
men when  purchasing  their  tickets  would  pay  for  them  with 
large  bills,  refusing  to  receive  change.  In  this  way  the  re- 
ceipts were  much  increased. 

Mrs.  Powell  was  born  in  England  in  1774.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Harrison.  She  was  of  good  family,  but,  being 
dependent  upon  her  own  exertions,  adopted  the  profession  of 
an  actress,  and  soon  attained  a  respectable  position  on  the 
stage.  She  had  appeared  before  George  the  Third  by  com- 
mand, and  had  often  performed  second  characters  to  Mrs. 
Siddons,  having  made  a  tour  in  the  provinces  in  company 
with  her.  She  was  induced  to  come  to  the  United  States  by 
Mr.  Charles  Powell,  and,  in  1794  married  his  brother,  Mr. 
Snelling  Powell.  She  died  Dec.  10,  1843,  and  was  buried  in 
Mount  Hope  Cemetery,  near  Boston.  She  made  her  first 
appearance  in  Boston  in  1794.  Her  husband  was  of  Welsh 
parentage,  and  inherited  from  his  father,  who  was  a  theatri- 
cal manager,  a  taste  for  the  stage.  Pie  came  to  America  in 
1793,  and,  after  a  few  years'  experience  as  an  actor,  assumed 
the  direction  of  a  theatre  in  Boston,  where  by  his  honorable 
conduct  and  generous  disposition  he  obtained  an  enviable 
reputation. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  03 

James  A.  Dickson  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  and  as 
an  actor,  a  manager,  and  merchant,  was  highly  esteemed. 
He  had  a  portly  figure,  and  his  graceful  movements  and  dis- 
tinguished bearing  proclaimed  him  a  gentleman.  He  was 
born  in  London  in  1744,  and,  on  attaining  his  majority  came 
to  this  country  with  the  intention  of  engaging  in  commercial 
pursuits  ;  but,  being  much  praised  for  his  talents  for  dramatic 
recitation,  he  became  an  actor.  He  changed  his  name,  for 
the  sake  of  his  relations,  to  Dickenson,  but  afterwards  re- 
sumed his  family  name.  His  line  of  business  was  "  first  old 
man,"  and  in  that  he  excelled.  He  was  scrupulously  perfect 
in  the  words  of  his  characters,  had  an  excellent  taste  in  cos- 
tume, and  showed  himself  a  complete  artist  by  his  faithful 
attention  to  the  minutest  details  of  personation.  After  he 
became  a  manager  he  several  times  visited  England  to  pro- 
cure theatrical  recruits,  and  it  was  under  his  auspices  that 
many  well-reputed  actors  were  introduced  to  the  American 
stage.  He  retired  from  the  profession  as  an  actor  in  18 17, 
but  twice  reappeared  for  Mrs.  Powell's  benefits.  He  did  not 
abandon  the  labors  of  a  manager  till  several  years  later.  He 
then  engaged  in  mercantile  life  and  accumulated  a  compe- 
tency. During  his  visits  to  England  he  used  to  execute  the 
orders  of  American  merchants,  and  there  took  the  agency 
of  Day  &  Martin's  blacking. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

1817-1827- 

mr8.  powelii  becomes  lessee  of  the  theatre— appearance  of 
Incledon— The  first  Saturday  Evening  Performance— The  West 
Point  Cadets  attend  the  play— Death  of  Mr.  Bray— J.  Wal- 
lace—A  CALAMITOUS  FIRE— EDMUND  KEAN  IN  PROVIDENCE— DIF- 
FICULTIES OF  A  JOURNEY  TO  BOSTON— CLARK  AND  ClIARNOCK  BECOME 
LESSEES   OF    THE    THEATRE — DEBUT    OF   EDAVIN    FORREST — DEATH    OF 

Mary  Ann  McBride— Benefit  of  Mrs.  McBride— Samuel  J.  Smith 
—William  A.  Conway. 

AFTER  the  expiration  of  the  lease  held  by  Powell  and 
Dickson,   Mrs.    Powell  became  the  lessee,  and  main- 
tained the  theatre  for  several  years,   Duff  and  others 
acting  as  managers. 

In  1 817  and  18 18  the  theatre  remained  closed,  except  for 
a  few  nights  in  the  early  part  of  September,  when  a  very  good 
company,  the  prominent  members  of  which  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Duff,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  Brown,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drummond, 
and  Messrs.  Green,  Pelby,  and  Adamson,  profited  by  the  in- 
flux of  strangers  attending  the  Commencement  festivities, 
and  came  to  Providence. 

In  the  summer  of  1818  the  celebrated  Incledon,  assisted  by 
Bianchi  Taylor,  gave  a  concert  upon  its  stage.  The  pieces 
sung  by  Incledon  were  "Washington's  Star  ;  "  "  Encompassed 
in  an  Angel's  Frame  ;  "  Black-eyed  Susan  ;  "  Blow  high,  blow 
low  ;  "  "  Scot's  wha  ha'e  wi'  Wallace  bled  ;  "  "  Sailor's  Last 
Whistle;"  "  Quaker  Song,"  and  the  famous  "Storm."  His 
fame  is  associated  with  his  execution  of  the  "  Storm,"  which, 
as  rendered  by  him,  produced  an  intense  effect. 

In  the  autumn  of  1819  the  first  performance  ever  given  on 
a  Saturday  evening  in  Providence  (except  in  1807,  when  the 
4th  of  July  fell  on  that  day)  took  place,  the  curtain  rising 
earlier  than  usual  that  the  entertainment  might  be  concluded 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  85 

at  a  seasonable  hour.  The  novelty  gave  offence  to  some 
scrupulous  people,  and  several  communications  respecting  the 
innovation  appeared  in  the  newspapers  ;  but  the  subject  was 
soon  dropped. 

In  August,  182 1,  the  West  Point  cadets,  numbering  rank, 
file,  and  musicians,  two  hundred  and  thirty-five,  arrived  in 
town,  and  encamped  on  Camp  Hill,  in  front  of  Colonel 
Blodget's  residence,  now  the  house  of  Mr.  Albert  Smith. 
In  the  evening  they  visited  the  theatre  by  invitation,  and 
witnessed  the  performance  of  "Laugh  when  You  Can,"  and 
of  "Of  Age  To-morrow." 

The  great  tragedian,  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  made  his  first 
appearance  before  a  Providence  audience  in  1822,  and  at- 
tracted crowded  houses.  The  Providence  Journal  pronounced 
him  the  best  actor  that  had  ever  visited  the  town,  except 
Cooke,  and  in  excellent  criticisms  pointed  out  his  merits. 
From  that  time  Mr.  Booth  made  frequent  visits  to  Providence, 
and  he  never  found  a  more  appreciative  audience,  or  more 
sincere  friends  than  in  this  place.  Here  he  played  his  grand- 
est characters  in  his  best  manner,  and  here  too  he  indulged 
in  some  of  his  wildest  pranks. 

This  year  was  missed  the  low  comedian,  Br*ay.  In  the 
preceding  year,  while  playing  in  Boston  he  became  very  ill, 
and  his  disease  baffled  the  skill  of  the  physicians  of  that  city. 
In  the  hope  of  regaining  his  health  he  left  America  to  revisit 
his  native  country  in  the  spring  of  1822,  but  died  two  days 
after  his  arrival,  at  the  house  of  his  sister,  on  the  day  he 
completed  his  fortieth  year.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  irre- 
proachable morals  and  elegant  manners.  He  had  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  a  good  education,  and  his  talents  as  a  musical 
and  dramatic  author  were  considerable.  He  was  master  of 
the  French  language,  and  adapted  many  plays  from  the  French 
stage  for  the  Boston  theatre.  As  a  low  comedian  he  ex- 
celled, being  one  of  the  best  in  his  time.  He  had  that  rare 
kind  of  comic  talent  that  maybe  called  the  "serio-comic." 
He  was  not  obliged  to  say  more  than  was  set  down  for  him  ; 
nor  resort  to  the  grimaces  or  other  spurious  artifices  with 
which  many  actors  endeavor  to  set  on  a  quantity  of  barren 
spectators  to  laugh  ;  but  his  humor  was  natural,  and  his  self- 
control  so  complete,  that  when  the  audience  were  in  tears 
from  excessive  merriment,  himself  remained    imperturbable 


86  HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  stolidly  unconscious.     He    was    a  comedian  of  the  true 
stamp,  one 

'•  Whose  every  look  and  gesture  was  a  joke 
To  clapping  theatres  and  shouting  crowds, 
And  made  e'en  thick-lipped  melancholy 
To  gather  up  her  face  into  a  smile 
Before  she  was  aware." 

His  death  was  lamented  by  all  who  had  the  fortune  to  be 
acquainted  with  him. 

After  this  season  theatricals  were  better  patronized.  For 
three  or  four  years  they  had  not  prospered  ;  there  being  less 
taste  for  the  drama,  and  the  character  of  the  performances 
having  deteriorated.  The  old  supporters  of  the  theatre  had 
begun  to  weary  of  their  proteges,  and  no  longer  was  it  a 
passport  to  the  most  cultivated  circles  to  be  an  actor.  Times 
were  changed  since  the  principal  families  contended  for  Mr. 
Harper's  society, — when  he  dined  every  Sunday  with  the 
Olneys,  the  Goddards,  or  the  Carters.  But  this  lack  of  in- 
terest in  the  theatre  was  in  some  measure  the  fault  of  the 
actors.  They  did  not  maintain  so  high  a  standard  of  char- 
acter as  they  did  when  all  their  motions  were  observed,  set 
in  note-books,  learned,  and  conned  by  rote,  and  when  pun- 
ishment would  have  followed  any  misbehavior.  Many  of 
them  were  too  fond  of  conviviality,  and  on  their  "off-nights" 
nearly  all  of  them  would  indulge  in  excessive  hilarity,  so  that 
people  began  to  associate  the  actor's  profession  with  dis- 
orderly conduct.  The  actors  had  too  much  time  on  their 
hands,  performing  only  three  times  a  week  ;  and  their  repre- 
sentations, being  merely  repetitions  of  their  Boston  perform- 
ances, cost  them  but  little  study.  Still  further,  when  the 
heat  of  summer  prevented  the  people  of  Boston  from  attend- 
ing the  theatre,  the  actors  always  came  here ;  and  when  the 
citizens  of  Providence  had  become  familiar  with  most  of  the 
acting  plays,  they  became  fastidious  in  their  criticisms,  and 
could  not  be  induced  to  crowd  into  the  theatre  to  witness  in- 
ferior entertainments. 

This  year  the  season  began  in  May,  and  after  a  few  weeks 
the  theatre  closed,  to  reopen  in  September. 

In  1823  the  principal  event  was  the  engagement  of  the  el- 
der Wallack  ;  Messrs.  Kilner  and  Clark  beino-  the  managers. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  87 

He  opened  as  Rolla  to  an  excellent  house,  the  receipts  being 
$330.00,  and  all  his  performances  were  well  attended. 

In  1824  Henry  J.  Finn  first  appeared  before  the  Providence 
public,  playing  a  round  of  tragic  parts,  and  producing  "  Tom 
and  Jerry,"  in  which  he  personated  Bob  Logic.  This  play 
whenever  presented  proved  very  attractive,  although  there 
were  not  wanting  some  who  pronounced  it  immoral,  and  de- 
plored the  vitiated  taste  then  prevailing. 

Finn  was  succeeded  by  Conway,  who  produced  a  favorable 
impression,  attracting  excellent  houses. 

Mr.  Finn  was  born  at  Cape  Breton,  Sidney,  in  1785.  He 
was  brought  to  this  country  when  a  child,  and  sent  to  school 
at  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  from  thence  to  Princeton  (N.  J.)  Col- 
lege. He  was  property  boy's  assistant  at  the  Park  Theatre, 
New  York.  At  the  death  of  his  father  he  visited  Europe  and 
made  his  debut  at  the  Haymarket  Theatre,  London.  Re- 
visited America  and  opened  at  the  Park  Theatre  as  Shylock. 
In  1 820  he  was  associate  editor  of  the  Savannah  Georgian. 
Went  to  England  in  1821,  but  returned  to  America  and  ap- 
peared Oct.  22,  1822,  at  the  Federal  Street  Theatre,  Boston, 
as  Richard.  First  appeared  in  Philadelphia  March  9,  18 18, 
as  Hamlet.  His  last  appearance  on  the  stage  was  Jan.  8, 
1840,  at  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  as  Mons. 
Jaques.  He  was  lost  on  the  steamer  Lexington,  which  was 
burned  on  Long  Island  Sound,  Jan.  10,  1840,  almost  in  sight 
of  his  own  home  at  Newport. 

During  the  spring  of  1825  a  calamitous  fire  occurred,  oc- 
casioning much  distress.  It  was  discovered  about  eleven 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  May,  and,  despite  the 
efforts  of  all  the  inhabitants,  it  consumed  many  dwellings  on 
or  adjacent  to  Westminster  street,  and  the  Universalist 
chapel,  with  the  rich  contents  of  its  basement,  being  one  hun- 
dred bales  of  cotton  and  three  hundred  barrels  of  whiskey, 
which  had  been  taken  for  storage  by  the  thrifty  worshippers. 
As  soon  as  the  alarm  was  given  the  audience  and  the  actors 
of  the  theatre,  which  then  chanced  to  be  open,  repaired  to  the 
scene,  and  did  good  service  in  saving  the  property.  Mrs. 
Henry  was  then  the  leading  lady  of  the  company,  and  she 
was  particularly  conspicuous  that  night  in  ministering  to  the 
necessities  of  the  houseless.  The  theatre  was  used  as  a 
store-house    for   goods  saved   from   the  flames,   and,    a    few 


S8  HISTORY     OF    THE 

nights  afterwards,  the  actors  gave  a  performance  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  sufferers,  the  proceeds  of  which  were  put  into  the 
hands  of  a  gentleman  of  the  town  for  distribution,  the  man- 
agers adding  to  the  sum  a  liberal  gift. 

The  theatre  remained  open  only  twelve  nights  at  this  time, 
but  was  reopened  in  August  for  a  brief  season,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  Barnes  being  the  chief  attraction.  The  stock  company  in- 
cluded Messrs.  Finn,  Kilner,  Brown,  Fielding,  Clark,  Thayer, 
Scott,  Bernard,  Charnock,  Spear,  Reed,  and  Mrs.  Henry, 
and  Miss  Elizabeth  Powell,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Powell,  the 
lessee,  and  subsequently  the  wife  of  Mr.  Finn.  She  died  in 
Boston,  Nov.  17,  1 85 1 ,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Hope 
Cemetery. 

In  December  a  very  distinguished  actor  made  his  first  and 
only  appearance  in  Providence,  but  not  to  win  loud  plaudits 
from  audiences  frenzied  with  delight,  as  had  been  his  wont 
in  the  great  London  theatres.  It  was  Edmund  Kean,  who,  a 
fugitive  from  the  fury  of  a  Boston  mob,  in  disguise  made 
Providence  his  temporary  resting  place,  as  he  sought  security 
in  flight.  It  is  well  known  that  when  Kean  played  in  Boston, 
in  182 1,  his  second  engagement,  on  the  night  when  he  was 
announced  to  appear  as  Richard  III.,  so  few  persons  were 
present  at  the  time  of  the  rising  of  the  curtain  that  he  re- 
fused to  play,  and  at  once  left  Boston.  On  his  return  to 
America  in  1825,  the  Boston  managers,  believing  that  all  ani- 
mosity towards  him  had  become  extinct,  engaged  him,  and  ad- 
vertised his  appearance  in  his  greatest  character  of  Richard, 
on  the  2 1  st  of  December.  At  this  time  occurred  a  disgraceful 
riot,  which  resulted  in  great  damage  to  the  theatre,  and  the 
flight  of  Kean  from  a  mob  thirsting  for  his  blood.  Two  citi- 
zens of  Providence,  S.  S.  Southworth  and  Samuel  J.  Smith, 
were  upon  the  stage,  and,  aided  by  the  managers,  were  instru- 
mental in  saving  his  life.  They  conducted  him  by  a  private 
door  which  opened  from  the  stage  to  a  small  dwelling,  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  George  Clark,  the  prompter,  where  he  remained 
several  hours  in  a  distracted  state  of  mind,  anticipating  vio- 
lence from  the  mob,  who,  suspecting  his  hiding  place,  made 
several  attempts  to  enter.  Mr.  Southworth  stood  upon  the  steps 
of  the  dwelling,  and,  when  the  rioters  presented  themselves, 
held  them  at  bay  by  assuring  them  that  Kean  was  not  there, 
and,  appealing  to  their  manhood  and  gallantry,  told  them  that 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  89 

Mrs.  Clark,  who,  as  everybody  knew,  was  daily  expecting  to 
become  a  mother,  was  in  an  extremely  critical  condition. 
About  one  o'clock  that  night  Kean  escaped  through  Theatre 
alley,  was  conveyed  to  the  Exchange  Coffee  House,  and,  being 
there  placed  under  the  protection  of  Thomas  Perkins  and  a 
man  named  Collamore,  started  for  Providence.  After  a  few 
hours  rest  in  Providence,  they  set  out  for  Worcester,  stopping- 
only  at  Ware,  at  which  place  Kean  threw  off  his  disguise. 
This  circuitous  route  was  taken  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the 
mob,  who  had  been  told  that  the  fugitives  were  going  to 
Worcester.  Kean  was  much  frightened,  and  his  terror  was 
expressed  in  continual  ejaculations.  It  was  said  that  the 
Boston  truckmen  were  banded  to  tar  and  feather  him,  and  it 
was  feared  that  in  their  rage  they  might  kill  him.  He  never 
afterwards  visited  Providence.  In  1826  the  theatre  was  re- 
painted, and  was  open  from  May  31st  to  September  8th. 
The  most  attractive  performers  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamblin, 
Mr.  Finn,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barratt.  Mrs.  Barratt  had  be- 
come very  popular  the  previous  season,  as  Mrs.  Henry.  She 
was  a  sister  of  Samuel  Stockwell,  the  scene  painter,  and 
possessed  great  talents.  Her  brother  was  the  adopted  son 
of  that  benevolent  lady,  Mrs.  Barnes,  who  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years  appeared  every  season  on  the  Providence 
stage,  and  despite  the  disadvantages  of  a  short  and  corpulent 
figure,  remained  till  her  death  unrivalled  in  her  personations 
of  the  old  woman  of  comedy.  The  company  comprised  some 
actors  of  excellent  repute,  among  whom  were  Messrs.  William- 
son, Stanley,  Reed,  Brown,  Kilner,  and  Spooner  ;  among  the 
ladies  were  Mesdames  Kelly,  Powell,  Barnes,  and  Spooner, 
with  Misses  Kelly,  Powell,  and  the  McBrides. 

The  expectation  of  seeing  Kean  was  very  high,  but  the 
managers,  Kilner  &  Clark,  did  not  deem  it  prudent  to  engage 
him,  as  they  had  cause  to  fear  he  might  not  receive  a  gracious 
welcome  from  all  classes  of  the  citizens.  When  Kean  played 
his  first  engagement  in  Boston,  his  performances  had  been  wit- 
nessed by  scores  of  Providence  people  who  took  the  journey 
for  that  purpose,1  and  were  now  desirous  of  seeing  him 
on  their  own  stage  ;  but  this  consummation  of  their  wishes 
was  never  attained. 

1  The  journcv  to  Boston  was  not  dispatched  in  i s^i  with  the  same  celerity  as  it  now  i~.  bu( 
was  performed  in  stage  coaches,  which  left  Providence  at  9  a.  m.,  and  arrived  in  Boston  ai 
6  P.  M.     They  stopped  at  intervals  of  eight  or  nine  miles  to  change  horses,  and   to  gi 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1827,  Clark  &  Charnock,  having  pur- 
chased the  unexpired  lease  of  Mrs.  Powell,  opened  the  theatre 
at  reduced  prices  of  admission,  and,  in  June,  introduced  to 
Providence  the  American  tragedian,  Edwin  Forrest.  Small 
but  fashionable  houses  witnessed  the  personations  of  this  gen- 
tleman, whose  name  soon  afterwards  became  sufficient  to 
crowd  the  houses  nightly.  When  he  played  Damon  for  his 
benefit,  the  audience  was  somewhat  larger  than  on  the  pre- 
ceding nights.  Being  called  before  the  curtain,  he  thus  ad- 
dressed those  who  were  present : 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen, — Though  much  fatigued  by  the  labors  of  this 
evening,  I  obey  your  call,  and  assure  you  that  for  the  many  and  brilliant 
evidences  you  "have  given  me  of  your  approbation  and  respect,  you  have 
my  sincere  thanks. 

"This  is  the  first  season  I  ever  had  the  honor  of  appearing  before  a 
Providence  audience,  and  though  since  I  have  been  with  you  the  theatre 
has  not  been,  for  some  cause  unknown  to  me,  so  fully  attended  as  I  an- 
ticipated, still  the  silence  and  attention  that  has  been  evinced  by  those  who 
have  honored  it  with  their  presence,  has  been  far  more  grateful  to  my  feel- 
ings, than  the  vain,  empty,  and  injudicious  noise  and  applause  of  the  mil- 
lion." 

Some  who  were  not  present  took  umbrage  at  this  speech 
as  it  was  reported,  but  after  it  was  published  all  offence  died 
away,  and  here,  as  elsewhere,  no  actor  proved  so  attractive  as 
Mr.  Forrest. 

Edwin  Forrest,  one  of  the  greatest  tragedians  and  expo- 
nents of  Shakspeare,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  March  9, 
1806,  and  died  in  the  same  city  in  1872.  His  father  was  a 
Scotchman  and  his  mother  an  American.  There  were  six 
children,  Edwin  being  the  fourth.     His  elder  brother  was  a 

passengers  opportunities  for  obtaining  spirituous  drinks.  The  first  stopping  place  was  at 
liarrows's,  where  all  drank;  and  then,  after  short  delay,  the  coach  proceeded  to  Hatch's, 
where  there  was  another  delay  and  a  repetition  of  the  drinking  process.  The  longest  rest 
was  at  Fuller's,  the  half-way  house;  and  here  the  passengers  dined,  smoked,  slept,  or 
strolled  about  for  two  hours,  when  the  coach  was  brought  to  the  door,  where  it  waited  a 
long  while  for  them  to  reassemble;  it  being  as  difficult  a  task  for  the  driver  to  collect 
them  together,  as  for  a  captain  of  a  ship  to  get  his  crew  aboard  for  a  voyage.  The  after- 
noon was  spent  in  the  same  manner  as  the  early  part  of  the  day,  the  tired  travellers  reach- 
ing Boston  in  time  to  take  some  refreshment  and  visit  the  theatre. 

When  a  steamboat  line  was  established  between  New  York  and  Providence,  the  greater 
number  of  the  travellers  came  from  Boston,  and  gave  such  an  impetus  to  the  transporta- 
tion  business,  that  there  were  two  lines  of  stages  running  daily  between  Providence  and 
Boston;  one  of  them  leaving  this  town  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  other  at  about  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  the  arrival  of  the  New  York  boat.  Of  course  there  was  much  emulation 
between  the  lines,  each  competing  with  the  other  in  celerity,  the  excellence  of  the  coaches, 
and  the  cheapness  of  the  fares.  One  of  these  lines  employed  two  hundred  and  thirteen 
horses  and  twenty  coaches,  and,  during  the  year  1S2S,  received  from  passengers  the  sum  of 
$S2,ooo.  The  other  line  received  that  year  $35,000.  This  competition  shortened  the  time 
of  the  journey  to  seven  hours. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  9 I 

tanner  and  currier,  and  in  his  shop  Edwin  gave  his  first  reci- 
tation, on  a  stone  table  (used  by  his  brother  for  dressing 
leather),  for  the  amusement  of  the  workmen.  At  ten  years 
of  age  he  was  taken  from  school  and  placed  in  a  German  im- 
porting house.  Young  Forrest  gave  so  much  more  of  his 
attention  to  play-acting  than  he  did  to  his  "boss's"  interest, 
that  the  latter  would  often  remark  :  "  Edwin,  this  theoretical 
infatuation  will  be  your  ruin."  He  soon  left  and  went  to  the 
old  South  Street  Theatre.  He  next  joined  a  Thespian  society 
in  Chestnut  street,  where  he  became  the  "  star  "  of  the  even- 
ing. In  1 817  he  appeared  at  the  Apollo  Theatre.  His  cos- 
tume on  this  occasion  consisted  of  thick,  heavy  shoes,  coarse 
woollen  stockings  and  a  short  white  dress,  which  reached  to 
his  knees  only,  with  a  red  scarf  around  his  head.  His  first 
appearance  on  a  regular  stage  was  as  Young  Norval  at  the 
Walnut  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  Nov.  27,  1820.  The 
cool  reception  accorded  him  on  this  occasion  did  not  discour- 
age him  in  the  least  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  continued  studying 
harder  and  harder,  resolved  to  adopt  the  stage  as  his  profes- 
sion. On  the  6th  of  January,  1821,  he  took  his  first  benefit, 
appearing  as  Octavian,  in  "The  Mountaineers."  He  then 
wended  his  steps  westward,  and  made  his  first  appearance  in 
Cincinnati  in  the  fall  of  1822,  as  Malfort,  in  "The  Soldier's 
Daughter."  During  his  engagement  there  he  played  Rich- 
ard, and  the  editor  of  a  paper  there  was  called  a  madman  for 
prophesying  his  future  greatness. 

In  Louisville,  Mr.  Forrest  played  Othello  and  several  other 
characters  for  the  first  time,  with  scarcely  any  knowledge  of 
the  text.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  now,  at  this  time  Mr.  For- 
rest's taste  was  decidedly  for  low  comedy,  and  he  played 
Blaise  and  Lubin  with  much  success.  While  in  Louisville  he 
assumed  the  character  of  a  negro  dandy.  He  suffered  many 
privations,  being  obliged  on  one  occasion  to  swim  over  the 
Muskingum  river,  the  stream  being  very  high  and  his  funds 
very  low.  He  boiled  corn  as  hard  as  Pharoah's  heart  to  k< 
up  life.  This  was  in  the  wilds  of  Kentucky.  After  playing 
in  the  different  cities  out  west,  he  joined  a  circus  company  as 
tumbler  and  rider,  at  a  salary  of  twelve  dollars  per  week,  for 
a  season  of  twelve  months.  It  has  been  doubted  by  some 
that  Forrest  ever  performed  feats  of  agility  in  the  circus,  but 
there  is  no  mistake  about  it.     He  performed  in  the  old  North 


92  HISTORY     OF    THE 

Pearl  Street  Amphitheatre,  in  Albany,  for  a  wager.  (He  was 
at  the  time  attached  to  the  Pearl  Street  Theatre,  under  the 
management  of  Gilfert),  in  a  stilt-vaulting  act,  eliciting 
shouts  of  laughter  and  applause.  He  also  made  a  flying  leap 
through  a  barrel  of  red  fire  on  another  occasion,  singeing  his 
eyebrows  off.  Mr.  Forrest's  first  appearance  as  a  star  was 
at  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  July  5,  1826,  as 
Othello.  He  made  a  tour  of  Europe  in  1834-35;  returned 
to  New  York  in  1836,  where  he  played  for  about  six  weeks, 
and  returned  to  England  to  play  a  professional  engagement. 
He  first  appeared  on  the  London  stage,  Oct.  17,  1836,  at 
Drury  Lane  Theatre,  as  Sparticus.  It  was  during  this  visit 
he  married  Miss  Catherine  Sinclair.  Had  his  suit  in  Amer- 
ica succeeded  when  he  tried  to  secure  the  hand  of  Jane 
Placide,  very  different  would  have  been  his  lot.  Her  charac- 
ter would  have  softened  his  asperities  and  made  him  a  very 
superior  man.  The  misery  which  resulted  from  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Sinclair  is  well  known. 

Catharine  Norton  Sinclair,  the  daughter  of  John  Sinclair, 
the  vocalist,  was  born  in  England,  and  there  she  was  married 
to  Forrest  in  1837.  They  were  mutually  smitten  with  each 
other ;  the  course  of  true  love  for  once  ran  smooth,  and  they 
were  united.  For  ten  years  their  married  life  was  happy, 
but  they  had  no  children  that  lived,  although  four  were  born 
to  them.  Despairing  of  an  heir  to  his  fortune,  Forrest 
bought  an  estate  above  New  York,  upon  the  Hudson,  with  a 
view  to  the  establishment,  after  his  death,  of  a  home  for  su- 
perannuated actors,  and  also  a  dramatic  school.  Here  the 
castle,  which  is  still  the  object  of  admiration  to  all  who  pass 
up  and  down  the  noble  river,  was  built  ;  to  serve  first  as  a 
home  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forrest,  and,  after  their  death,  for  the 
object  mentioned.  In  the  spring  of  1848  circumstances  oc- 
curred which  led  to  the  bitter  jealousy  of  the  actor,  to  crimi- 
nation, separation,  and  at  length  to  a  suit  for  divorce.  A 
cross-suit  was  immediately  begun,  and  the  trial  opened  in  De- 
cember, 1851,  with  Charles  O'Connor  as  her  counsel.  The 
interest  was  intense  and  public  opinion  much  divided.  The 
result  was  an  acquittal  of  the  wife  and  judgment  that  Mr. 
Forrest  pay  her  $3,000  a  year  alimony.  Five  times  he  ap- 
pealed the  case,  and  for  eighteen  years  it  was  in  the  courts. 
Then  he  paid  over  the  award.     Out  of  $64,000  coming  to  her 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  93 

at  last,  $59,000  went  to  the  lawyers  and  for  other  legal  ex- 
penses. Edwin  Forrest  was  a  defeated  man  ever  after  this 
miserable  lawsuit,  and  though  gold  flowed  in  on  him  from  the 
multitude  of  friends  who  believed  in  him,  life  was  soured  in 
him,  and  he  was  a  disappointed  man  so  long  as  he  lived.  In 
1852  we  find  him  playing  MacbetJi  in  New  York  to  crowded 
houses.  In  1854  he  retired  from  the  stage  for  four  years. 
In  i860  he  again  began  playing  in  New  York  with  his  accus- 
tomed vigor  and  with  renewed  applause,  and  he  held  the 
stage  from  thence  onward,  with  occasional  lapses,  till  1871, 
when  he  retired  because  of  sickness — gout  and  other  compli- 
cations. He  sought  rest  at  his  home  in  Philadelphia  in  the 
early  months  of  1872,  and  feeling  better,  determined  to  enter 
theatrical  life  as  a  reader,  but  the  trial  resulted  unsatisfacto- 
rily. On  the  nth  of  December  he  wrote  to  his  friend,  Mr. 
Oakes,  of  Boston,  his  last  letter.  On  the  12th  of  December, 
1872,  his  servants  noticed  that  he  had  not  called  them  as  was 
his  wont,  and  his  valet,  going  to  his  bedchamber,  knocked, 
and,  receiving  no  response,  entered  and  found  him  cold  in 
death.  He  had  died  painlessly  and  suddenly,  and  with  his 
arms  folded. 

His  wife  died  on  the  24th  of  June,  1891.  She  had  many 
years  previous  retired  from  the  stage. 

Mr.  Forrest  was  supported  during  his  engagement  by 
Mr.  Alexander  Wilson  and  Mrs.  Stone  ;  the  assistance  of  art- 
ists of  superior  talent  being  indispensable  to  the  successful 
rendition  of  the  Shakspearean  drama.  Mrs.  Stone  was  orig- 
inally Miss  Banister,  of  Boston,  and  married  Mr.  Joseph 
Legg,  an  actor  well  known  in  Providence.  Her  second  hus- 
band was  Mr.  Stone. 

In  August,  Miss  Mary  Ann  McBride,  a  young  lady  at- 
tached to  the  company,  whose  excellent  character  had  won 
her  many  friends,  died  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  her  age. 
She  had  adopted  the  stage  from  necessity,  and  had  become 
the  main  support  of  her  mother  and  a  brother  of  tender 
years. 

Her  father  had  come  from  Scotland  to  New  York,  about 
the  year  18 17,  and  being  of  indolent  and  thriftless  habits, 
was  unable  to  support  his  family.  In  this  emergency  Mis. 
McBride  conceived  the  idea  of  introducing  her  two  daugh- 
ters, Mary  Ann,  aged  fourteen,  and  Cecilia,  aged  twelve,  upon 


94  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  stage  ;  and,  as  they  were  too  young  to  be  accepted  by  any 
manager,  she  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  presenting  them 
as  infant  prodigies.  She  gave  them  lessons  in  elocution,  and 
taught  them  a  number  of  scenes  from  the  dramatic  poets. 
Then,  with  a  pamphlet  of  commendations  from  M.  M.  Noah, 
Samuel  Woodworth,  George  P.  Morris,  and  other  influential 
journalists,  this  little  Thespian  band  directed  their  footsteps 
westward,  taking  Mr.  McBride,  whose  skill  as  a  harpist  made 
him  useful  as  an  orchestra. 

After  a  year  of  profitless  wanderings,  they  at  length  found 
themselves  at  New  Orleans,  discouraged,  without  funds,  and 
almost  destitute  of  wardrobe.  The  girls  were  engaged  by 
James  H.  Caldwell,  who  had  recently  opened  a  theatre  there, 
and  played  under  his  management  such  parts  as  are  within 
the  capacity  of  children.  In  1823  they  obtained  employment 
at  the  Federal  Street  Theatre,  in  Boston,  and  came  with  the 
company  to  Providence,  Mary  Ann  appearing  as  Sue  in  "  Life 
in  London."  They  continued  to  visit  Providence  till  1827, 
Mary  Ann  playing  the  line  of  "walking  ladies,"  and  Cecilia 
being  available  principally  as  a  dancer,  though  in  a  few  parts, 
such  as  Albert  in  "William  Tell,"  she  won  general  admira- 
tion. The  spectacle  of  "Cherry  and  Fair  Star"  being  pro- 
duced, Mary  Ann  as  Cherry  made  a  hit,  and  at  once  became 
a  reigning  toast.  Many  young  men  were  suitors  for  her 
hand,  but  she  favored  none  except  Mr.  Samuel  Jenks  Smith, 
a  gentleman  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  of  literary  tastes, 
gifted  with  rare  colloquial  powers,  and  of  high  moral  char- 
acter. His  generous  nature  and  fine  promise  had  gained  him 
hosts  of  friends,  and  those  who  knew  him  most  intimately, 
prized  him  highest. 

Mr.  Smith's  suit  prospered,  his  overtures  were  approved  by 
the  lady's  mother,  and  the  nuptial  day  was  fixed.  At  this 
time  the  theatre  had  been  closed  for  lack  of  patronage,  and 
all  the  actors  had  gone  away,  leaving  this  family  busy  pre- 
paring for  the  wedding.  While  engaged  upon  the  bridal 
wardrobe,  Miss  McBride  pricked  her  hand  between  the  second 
and  third  fingers  with  her  needle,  but  paid  no  attention  to 
the  wound,  apparently  so  trivial.  In  a  day  or  two  it  became 
painful,  and  the  physician  who  attended  her  could  afford  no 
relief.  Another  day  passed,  tetanus  appeared,  and  in  a  few 
hours  the  young  lady  was  dead.     The  announcement  of  her 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  95 

death  was  received  with  general  regret,  and,  on  the  day  of 
her  funeral,  a  numerous  train  of  mourners  followed  her  re- 
mains to  the  grave. 

The  week  after  this  sad  event  Mr.  Kilner  came  with  the 
Federal  street  company  from  Boston,  and,  on  the  31st  of 
August,  reopened  the  Providence  theatre  for  a  single  night 
for  the  benefit  of  Mrs.  McBride,  who  had  become  somewhat 
involved  in  debt  by  the  calamity  that  had  befallen  her,  and 
was  likely  to  suffer  from  straitened  circumstances. 

The  alacrity  with  which  player-folk  have  ever  manifested 
to  spring  to  the  relief  of  those  who  are  in  sorrow,  need,  sick- 
ness, or  any  other  adversity,  still  characterizes  them.  More 
than  the  members  of  any  other  profession  they  feel  for  others' 
woes,  and  the  sight  of  distress  will  draw  from  them  their  en- 
tire treasures  of  money  and  sympathy.  Age  does  not  wither, 
nor  custom  stale  their  infinite  humanity.  Surely  the  art 
which  cherishes  so  tenderly  the  heaven-born  charity,  most 
precious  of  all  graces,  the  coverer  of  multitudinous  sins — 
which  preserves  to  extreme  age  the  generous  impulses  of 
youth,  and,  while  it  binds  its  votaries  in  ties  as  close  as  those 
of  consanguinity,  does  not  diminish  a  benevolence  that  would 
embrace  all  mankind — cannot  deserve  the  condemnation  con- 
tinually invoked  upon  it  by  the  sectarian  pulpits. 

The  play  selected  for  the  benefit  was  "  The  Soldier's 
Daughter;"  Mr.  Thomas  Kilner  enacting,  as  the  part  was 
never  before  played,  Governor  Heartall,  and  Mrs.  Pelby,  then 
in  her  prime,  sustaining  in  a  matchless  manner  the  char- 
acter of  Widow  Cheerly.  At  the  close  of  the  performance 
Mr.  Kilner  came  forward  and  made  an  address,  pronounced 
by  those  who  heard  it  to  be  inimitable  for  pathos,  appro- 
priateness, and  elegance  of  diction,  deeply  affecting  the  au- 
dience. 

The  receipts  from  the  sale  of  tickets  at  the  box-office  ex- 
ceeded three  hundred  dollars.  The  amount  was  much  in- 
creased by  the  contributions  of  several  gentlemen  who  sym- 
pathized with  the  beneficiary  in  her  great  bereavement. 

Mr.  Conway,  the  celebrated  tragedian,  was  accidentally  in 
town  at  this  time,  and  was  requested  to  take  part  in  the  per- 
formance. He  would  gladly  have  consented,  but,  being  then 
a  candidate  for  holy  orders,  he  felt  obliged  to  decline  the  in- 
vitation.    He  however  contributed  twenty  dollars,  and  made 


96  HISTORY    OF    THE 

one  of  the  audience  on  the  night  of  the  benefit.  Voluntary 
gifts  were  received  from  Mr.  Dickson  of  one  hundred  dollars  ; 
Mr.  Finn  of  twenty  dollars  ;  and  from  two  merchants  of  two 
hundred  dollars.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  entire  amount 
received  by  Mrs.  McBride  was  about  eight  hundred  dollars  ; 
no  contingent  expenses  being  deducted  from  this  sum  by  the 
noble-hearted  actors. 

Mr.  Stimpson,  the  manager  of  the  circus  then  performing 
in  the  brick  building  erected  for  equestrian  performances  in 
the  rear  of  the  Washington  Garden,  was  desirous  of  closing 
his  house  for  that  night,  had  he  felt  at  liberty  to  do  so  ;  but, 
although  his  performance  was  given  as  usual,  he  purchased 
tickets  for  his  whole  company,  thus  contributing  nearly  twenty 
dollars  to  the  receipts. 

A  number  of  the  residents  of  Pawtucket  came  to  the 
theatre  that  night  to  assist  on  an  occasion  which  drew  so 
largely  upon  the  sympathies  of  the  public. 

Miss  Cecilia  (or  Celia)  continued  on  the  stage  until  1844, 
dying  in  New  York  in  January,  1846,  after  having  obtained 
the  distinction  of  being  the  best  walking  lady  in  America. 

Of  all  the  English  actors  who  have  visited  this  country 
since  the  advent  of  Kean,  William  Augustus  Conway  was  in  . 
some  respects  the  best,  and  certainly  his  personal  history 
was  the  most  interesting.  He  has  been  pronounced  by 
mouths  of  wisest  censure  the  prince  of  Hamlets,  and  the 
lordliest  Coriolamts  that  ever  appeared  upon  our  stage.  His 
style  of  acting  was  intellectual,  and  devoid  of  every  kind  of 
trick;  his  figure  was  stately,  and  his  voice,  of  surprising 
clearness  and  compass,  was  long  remembered  by  those  who 
had  listened  to  his  expressive  enunciation  of  those  noble  pas- 
sages in  which  our  greatest  dramatist  gives  utterance  to  some 
generous  sentiment  which  finds  an  echo  in  every  breast.  To 
eminent  success  in  the  higher  walks  of  the  histrionic  art 
there  is  one  indispensable  requisite,  and  that  was  Conway's — 
soul.  Art  may  counterfeit  pathos,  and  wear  the  similitude  of 
passion — and  be  highly  applauded  withal  ;  but  unless  the 
heart  of  the  actor  be  in  harmony  with  that  of  mankind,  his 
personations  will  have  no  vitality  ;  they  will  lack  the  ring  of 
true  metal  ;  and  the  expectant,  yearning  listener  will  miss  an 
essential  something,  not  describable,  but  whose  absence  may 
be  potently  felt.     You  may  hear  a  prima  donna  of  the  opera 


TROVIDENCE    STAGE.  97 

sing,  and  while  the  dilettanti are  exhausting  their  vocabularies 
to  find  panegyrics  for  her  wonderful  execution  of  passages, 
whose  difficulty  is  appreciated  only  by  scientific  musicians,  a 
miscellaneous  audience  will  yawn  as  she  triumphs  over  the 
seeming  impossibilities  of  the  score.  Then  shall  another  be- 
gin the  same  song,  and,  as  face  answers  to  face  in  water,  so 
shall  her  sympathetic  tones  call  tears  from  unsounded  depths 
of  feeling  ;  and,  long  after  that  sweet  voice  is  still,  "  shall  vi- 
brate in  the  memory." 

To  some,  like  Malibran  and  Edmund  Kean,  nature  has 
given  the  "  key  of  staunchless  tears  ;  "  and,  at  their  bidding  we 
laugh,  we  sigh,  we  weep.  Conway  possessed  this  rarest  of 
gifts,  and  pathetic  passages  delivered  by  him  had  an  unusual 
tenderness,  and  awakened  in  his  hearers  an  interest  in  the 
man  himself.  The  modulations  of  his  voice  in  "Hamlet,"  in 
"Othello,"  and  especially  in  the  "Stranger,"  can  never  be 
forgotten. 

He  had  been  educated  for  the  law,  but  abandoned  the  study 
of  his  profession  for  the  stage,  and  speedily  attained  distinc- 
tion as  an  actor  in  the  London  theatres.  He  was  religiously 
inclined,  his  manners  were  unexceptionable,  and  his  tastes 
refined  ;  but  he  was  of  a  melancholic  disposition,  and  morbidly 
sensitive.  His  conspicuous  position  as  an  actor  exposed  him 
to  severe  trials,  the  chief  of  which  were  the  attacks  of  certain 
unscrupulous  critics  in  the  interest  of  a  rival  player,  their 
vindictiveness  increasing  when  the  sufferings  of  their  victim 
became  apparent.  One  unfeeling  wretch  having  become 
possessed  of  a  piece  of  family  scandal  relating  to  Conway's 
parentage,  gave  publicity  to  it  ;  and  then  the  actor,  over- 
whelmed with  shame,  abandoned  his  place  of  vantage,  and 
sought  shelter  in  the  obscurity  of  the  condition  of  a  prompter. 
He  was  soon  induced  by  the  entreaties  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  real  friends  to  resume  his  rightful  station,  and  was 
again  winning  golden  opinions,  when  some  newspaper  offen- 
sively suggested  to  him  that  he  ought  to  understand  that  for 
a  tragedian  something  was  needful  besides  legs  and  arms. 
Conway  was  again  crushed  to  earth,  loathing  his  own  person 
— for  he  was  unreasonably  sensitive  on  the  subject  of  his 
height,  being  a  little  over  six  feet  tall — and,  breaking  away 
from  the  theatre,  he  hid  himself  a  while,  reduced  to  a  condi- 
tion bordering  on  insanity. 

7 


98  HISTORY    OF    THE 

He  was  at  this  time  engaged  to  come  to  America,  and  ap- 
peared in  New  York  in  his  great  part  of  Hamlet,  creating  a 
most  favorable  impression.  For  two  or  three  years  he  was 
occupied  in  visiting  the  principal  theatres,  achieving  fame  in 
his  progress,  admired  by  the  public,  and  loved  by  his  inti- 
mates. At  length  he  resolved  to  take  holy  orders,  for  which 
he  had  long  cherished  a  predilection,  chose  a  retreat  in  New- 
port, R.  I.,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  theology, 
though  occasionally  emerging  to  give  poetical  readings  for  the 
purpose  of  replenishing  his  purse.  He  remained  in  Newport 
several  months,  as  secluded  as  a  hermit.  His  sedentary  life 
gave  him  opportunities  for  sad  remembrances,  his  griefs  made 
inroads  on  his  health,  and,  it  was  feared  that  they  had  unsettled 
his  mind.  Certain  it  is  that  he  perpetually  brooded  over  his 
sorrows,  and  deemed  himself  the  child  of  misfortune.  In  the 
spring  of  1828,  while  a  passenger*  by  sea  from  New  York  to 
Savannah,  he  was  lost  overboard  Many  surmised  that  in  a 
fit  of  mental  aberration  he  had  leaped  into  the  sea,  but  his 
friends  believed  that  his  death  was  the  result  of  an  accident. 
Even  after  his  life  was  ended  the  voice  of  calumny  was  raised 
against  him  ;  and  those  who  decried  the  stage  pointed  their 
morals  with  allusions  to  his  untimely  fate.  It  was  reserved 
for  a  Providence  newspaper — that  one  claiming  to  represent 
the  sentiments  of  the  most  religious  of  the  community — to 
publish  some  innuendoes,  as  malevolent  as  they  were  un- 
founded, impugning  his  motives  in  taking  orders.  Near  the 
same  period  a  bookseller  in  a  southern  city  published  certain 
letters  which  had  passed  between  Conway  and  Mrs.  Piozzi 
(formerly  Mrs.  Thrale),  written  when  she  was  eighty  years  of 
age,  and  tried  to  give  an  impression  that  the  relations  between 
them  had  been  of  a  criminal  character.  Nothing  but  the  vile- 
ness  of  the  slander  could  have  given  the  tale  a  moment's  cur- 
rency, for  Conway's  conduct  towards  Mrs.  Piozzi  showed  that 
he  was  the  soul  of  honor,  and  governed  by  chivalrous  motives, 
almost  quixotic  in  their  loftiness. 

He  was  of  a  retiring  disposition,  and  carefully  avoided  all 
those  adventitious  aids  by  which  men  attain  notoriety.  In 
oik  of  his  visits  to  Providence  he  lodged  at  the  Franklin 
House,  and  occupied  a  commodious  apartment,  such  as  was 
befitting  his  quality  ;  but,  there  being  a  great  influx  of  strang- 
ers on  account  of  some  extraordinary  attraction,  the  public 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  99 

houses  of  the  town  were  pressed  for  space  to  set  up  beds 
for  their  guests  ;  and  Conway  hearing  the  landlord  lamenting 
his  want  of  accommodations,  tendered  his  own  large  room. 
His  offer  being  accepted,  he  betook  himself  to  the  attic,  and 
there  remained  until  the  landlord's  exigency  was  overpast, 
and  the  inn  had  regained  its  accustomed  appearance. 

His  extreme  modesty  was  equally  observable  in  the  theatre. 
When  he  was  playing  an  engagement  he  assumed  no  lofty 
demeanor  towards  the  stock  actors,  and  when  the  hour  for 
performance  drew  near,  he  was  always  seen  unobtrusively 
making  his  way  towards  the  theatre,  carrying  his  own  swords 
and  other  essential  "  properties."1 

On  the  24th  of  September  a  goodly  company  from  Provi- 
dence visited  Boston  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  new 
Tremont  theatre,  and  were  highly  delighted  with  their  trip. 

1  An  interesting-  biography  of  this  ill-fated  gentleman  appeared  in  the  Literary  Cadet  of 
Feb.  9,  1S28;  and  an  original  poem  in  the  next  number  of  the  same  paper  makes  a  feeling 
allusion  to  his  sad  death.    They  are  accessible  in  the  alcoves  of  the  Providence  Athenx'um. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

1828-1832. 

William  Dinneford  leases  the  theatke— appearance  of  Clara 
Fisher  —  Charles  Young  maintains  a  summer  season  —  Joseph 
Cowell's  misadventure— A  new  manager— A  theatrical  dis- 
turbance—Disastrous speculation  of  Moses  S.  Phillips— A  new 

THEATRE  PROJECTED— ANECDOTE  OF  BOOTH — REPARATION  OF  THE 
THEATRE— A  NEW  ACT  DROP   GIVES  DISSATISFACTION— WILLIAM  DlN- 

neford— The  lottery  system— Master  Burke— Mishaps  of  A.  W. 
Jackson— Man ag em knt  of  Thomas  Hilson— The  final  perform- 
ance—The   THEATRE    SOLD   TO     GRACE    CHURCH    CORPORATION— THE 

demolition  of  the  building— The  change  in  the  charactei:  of 
the  patronage  of  the  theatre  in  its  last  years. 

IN  1828  Mr.  William  Dinneford  took  a  lease  of  the  theatre, 
and,  on  the  18th  of  March,  opened  with  a  redecorated 
house,  new  scenery,  and  a  good  company  of  performers  ; 
among  whom  were  Messrs.  Hyatt,  T.  Placide,  Kelsey,  Duffy, 
Crouta,  Mestayer,  and  Lawton,  with  Mesdames  Dinneford, 
Buckley,  and  Brewster.  An  opening  address  of  much  merit, 
written  by  Mr.  Hyatt,  was  pronounced  by  Mr.  Duffy.  The 
bill  consisted  of  the  equestrian  drama  of  "Timour  the  Tar- 
tar," performed  by  a  troupe  from  New  York ;  and  the  farce 
of  "The  Turnpike  Gate." 

On  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  Clara  Fisher,  then  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  made  her  dibut  as  Albina  Mandevillc  in 
the  "Will ;  "  and  Julia  in  the  "  Four  Mowbrays."  Her  en- 
gagement, though  short,  was  a  triumph.  She  elicited  as 
much  enthusiasm  here  as  in  other  places.  Throughout  the 
country  Clara  Fisher's  name  appeared  on  everything  vendi- 
ble, and  her  brother  having  established  a  newspaper  in  New 
York,  to  secure  popularity  for  it  and  himself,  advertised  it 
as  edited  by  "  C.  B.  J.  Fisher,  brother  of  the  celebrated  Clara 
Fisher."  The  excitement  in  Providence  pervaded  the  breasts 
of  the  sedate  old  merchants,  as  well  as  of  the  younger  and 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  IOI 

more  inflammable  sort ;  and  the  main  topic  of  conversation 
everywhere  was  the  charms  of  Clara  Fisher.  Her  benefit 
crammed  the  house,  the  proceeds  reaching  the  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  being  the  largest  amount  ever  within  the 
walls  of  the  theatre. 

Clara  Fisher  was  born  in  England,  July  14,  181 1,  the 
daughter  of  Frederick  George  Fisher.  Taken  at  the  age  of 
six  to  see  a  rehearsal  of  "Gulliver  in  Lilliput,"  to  be  played 
by  children  at  Drury  Lane,  she  was  as  badly  "  stage-struck  " 
as  many  have  been  at  a  later  period  in  life,  and  begged  her 
father's  permission  to  join  the  little  company.  Having 
pleased  the  manager  by  her  recitations,  she  was  engaged,  and 
in  a  masque  written  for  her  by  her  father,  made  a  hit  to  start 
with.  She  was  subsequently  engaged  at  Covent  Garden, 
and  was  looked  upon  as  a  youthful  prodigy.  As  such,  she 
starred  for  several  years,  totally  eclipsing  all  other  juvenile 
performers.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  she  came  to  America, 
and  at  this  time  must  have  been  a  very  bewitching  creature. 
She  is  thus  described  by  Ireland: 

"  Her  person,  below  the  middle  height,  and  just  reaching, 
but  not  exceeding,  a  delicate  plumpness,  was  exquisitely 
formed ;  her  manners  were  sprightly  and  vivacious,  yet  per- 
fectly natural  and  artless  ;  her  expression  arch  and  intelli- 
gent, her  cheeks  dimpling  with  smiles.  Appearing  as  she 
constantly  did,  in  the  characters  of  boys  and  striplings,  she 
had  her  fine  hair  closely  cut  on  the  back  of  her  head,  while 
on  her  brow  she  wore  rolls  or  puffs,  which  were  immediately 
adopted  as  the  fashion,  while  an  imitation  of  her  delicate,  but 
natural  lisp,  was  considered  equally  indispensable.  Her  name 
was  borrowed  to  give  popularity  to  new  fashions  and  old 
hotels,  slow  stagers  and  fast  racers  ;  and  anything  or  any- 
body who  could  claim  the  most  distant  connection  with  'the 
celebrated  Clara  Fisher,'  was  sure  of  attracting  notice  and 
distinction." 

In  her  earlier  years  her  success  was  equally  apparent  in 
tragedy,  opera,  or  farce,  but  later  in  life  her  face,  voice,  and 
person  were  best  adapted  to  the  lighter  characters  of  opera 
and  comedy.  She  played  Oplielia  and  Viola,  but  produced 
far  more  effect  in  the  more  every-day  character  of  Clari,  in 
Payne's  opera,  which  she  played  with  such  pathos  as  to  force 
tears  to  the  eyes  of  her  audience,  whether  they  would  or  no. 


102  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Her  Lady  Teazle  is  said  to  have  been  a  charming  perform- 
ance, and  also  her  Lady  Gay  Spanker,  although  her  petite 
figure  was  not  suitable  to  represent  the  generally  received 
idea  of  those  characters.  She  possessed  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  music,  and  in  opera  appeared  to  all  the  advantage 
that  her  limited  range  of  voice  permitted.  It  was  in  ballads, 
however,  that  her  greatest  musical  success  was  won,  her  ex- 
pression in  singing  Irish  and  other  sentimental  songs  gain- 
ing for  her  her  greatest  popularity.  One  of  her  best  charac- 
ters, in  later  days,  was  the  Fool,  in  "  Lear,"  which  she  made 
very  important  when  Macready  brought  out  the  play  as  orig- 
inally written. 

Her  American  debut  was  at  the  Park  Theatre,  New  York, 
Sept.  n,  1827,  as  Albina  Mandeville,  in  "The  Will,"  and  in 
the  farce  "  Old  and  Young,"  in  which  she  personated  the 
four  Mowbrays.  After  a  most  successful  career,  she  married, 
Dec.  6,  1834,  Mr.  James  Gasper  Maeder,  a  distinguished 
musician,  and  the  vocal  preceptor  of  Charlotte  Cushman  and 
many  others.  Much  of  Mrs.  Maeder's  fortune  was  lost  in 
the  United  States  Bank,  and  much  more  in  theatrical  man- 
agement. She  retired  from  the  stage  for  nearly  a  decade, 
but  reappeared  in  Lucy  Rushton's  New  York  company,  and 
is  still  in  the  profession.  She  has  visited  Providence  two  or 
three  times  within  the  past  ten  years,  as  a  member  of  Arthur 
Rehan's  company.  She  is  still  bright  and  active,  and  as  well 
qualified  to  play  the  parts  she  now  undertakes,  as  any  in  the 
business. 

Miss  Fisher  was  followed  by  Miss  Kelly,  and  then  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Blake.  Mr.  Dinneford  terminated  his  season  on 
the  1st  of  May,  having  lost  a  considerable  sum  by  his  enter- 
prise. 

About  the  middle  of  June,  Mr.  Charles  Young,  formerly 
well  known  in  Providence,  came  with  a  portion  of  the  Bow- 
ery theatre  company,  containing  some  good  actors,  namely: 
Messrs.  Archer,  Comer,  J.  Mills  Brown,  Faulkner,  and  Lawes  ; 
also  Mesdames  Young,  Lawes,  and  Spooner;  and  Miss  Ham- 
ilton. He  kept  the  theatre  open  until  the  10th  of  Septem- 
ber, with  this  succession  of  stars  :  Cooper,  Miss  Rock,  Mrs. 
Duff,  Hackett,  Louisa  Lane  (eight  years  old),  and  Arthur 
Keene,  the  vocalist.  Mr.  Keene  took  his  benefit  on  the  1st 
of  July,  and  Joseph  Cowell,  the  comedian,  being  on  his  way 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  IO3 

from  Boston  to  New  York,  had  agreed  to  stop  over  night, 
and  play  Darby  in  the  "  Poor  Soldier,"  on  this  occasion. 

Air.  Cowell  left  Boston  in  the  mail  stage,  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  arrived  in  Providence  in  time  for  rehearsal 
the  same  day.  The  weather  being  exceedingly  warm,  he  de- 
termined after  dinner  to  take  his  lost  share  of  sleep.  So  he 
selected  a  file  of  papers  from  the  reading-room,  and,  finding  a 
mattress  thrown  down  in  the  corner  of  a  balcony  of  his  hotel, 
where  all  the  air  Providence  could  bestow  seemed  to  flutter, 
he  arranged  a  siesta.  When  he  awoke  it  was  dusk,  and,  after 
repairing  his  toilet,  he  set  off  for  the  theatre,  all  his  compan- 
ions being  there,  although  he  had  to  play  only  in  the  last 
piece.  As  he  passed  through  the  bar  he  inquired  of  a  servant 
sweeping  it  out,  "what  is  the  time  ?  "  "About  four,  sir,"  said 
he.  "About  eight,  more  likely,"  replied  Mr.  Cowell,  and  on 
he  walked. 

The  shops  were  all  closed,  and  everything  appeared  exceed- 
ingly quiet ;  but,  as  he  was  prepared  by  report  for  the  steady 
habits  of  Providence,  its  appearance  did  not  strike  him  as 
extraordinary.  The  carriers  hanging  morning  papers  over  the 
knobs  of  the  doors,  or  insinuating  them  beneath,  were  the 
only  human  beings  he  met  on  his  way  to  the  theatre,  which 
to  his  astonishment  he  found  closed  and  quiet.  A  thought 
flashed  across  his  mind — could  it  be  possible?  He  made  an 
inquiry  of  a  milkman,  and  found  to  his  amazement  that  it  was 
not  to-nigJit,  but  to-morrow  inoming.  To  return  to  the  hotel 
and  make  an  explanation  he  knew  full  well  would  be  at  the 
expense  of  remaining  to  perform  that  night.  So  he  quietly 
went  on  board  the  steamboat  Connecticut,  which  was  to  take 
him  to  New  York,  leaving  his  baggage  behind.  His  old 
friend  Captain  Bunker,  met  him  with  astonishment.  He  had 
been  at  the  play,  and  fully  described  the  consternation  that 
had  been  occasioned.  The  theatre  had  been  crowded;  and. 
after  every  room  in  the  Franklin  House  had  been  searched, 
and  every  conceivable  place  in  the  town,  it  had  been  unani- 
mously agreed  that  in  walking  to  tin-  theatre  after  dark,  he 
had  walked  off  the  dock.  Already  a  reward  had  been  offered 
for  the  recovery  of  his  body,  and  had  not  his  busings  been 
too  urgent  to  admit  of  the  delay,  he  would  have  delivered 
himself  up  and  claimed  the  ten  dollars  for  the  joke's  sake; 
but,  as  it  was,  he  got  the  captain  to  keep  the  scent,  lay  perdu 


104  HISTORY    OF    THE 

till  the  boat  was  off,  and  took  the  news  of  his  supposed  un- 
timely end  to  personally  contradict  it  in  New  York  and  Phil- 
adelphia.1 

The  theatre  was  again  opened  in  1829,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Wilson,  Mr.  J.  Phalen,  a  gentleman  from  New 
York,  becoming  the  lessee  of  Mr.  Dinneford,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  maintaining  a  winter  season  ;  but,  after  four  weeks 
of  losses,  he  abandoned  the  undertaking. 

Near  the  close  of  Mr.  Wilson's  management  there  was  a 
near  approach  to  a  theatrical  riot.  On  the  27th  of  February, 
Mr.  Ball,  one  of  the  members  of  the  company,  while  playing 
the  part  of  Cassio,  was  fiercely  hissed.  The  storm  increas- 
ing, he  addressed  the  audience,  and,  in  a  brief  and  manly 
speech,  offered  to  meet  any  one  to  whom  he  had  given  of- 
fence, after  the  performance.  He  was  then  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed. On  the  next  night  of  his  appearance  a  large  party 
went  to  the  theatre  to  drive  him  from  the  stage.  They  pre- 
vented the  progress  of  the  play,  and,  when  the  manager 
asked  the  cause  of  the  interruption,  they  said  that  Mr.  Ball 
had  insulted  Americans.  They  finally  succeeded  in  termi- 
nating the  performance  in  confusion.  A  mob  collected  about 
the  door,  and  were  loud  in  their  threats.  Mr.  Ball  in  some 
way  eluded  their  pursuit,  and,  after  some  delay,  they  dispersed 
without  any  act  of  violence.  The  words  spoken  by  the  actor, 
as  it  afterwards  proved,  were  uttered  in  jest  to  a  friend,  and, 
having  been  overheard,  were  misconstrued,  and  thus  mischief 
ensued. 

In  June,  Moses  J.  Phillips  made  a  disastrous  dramatic  spec- 
ulation. He  came  here  with  a  company,  much  larger  than 
any  that  had  ever  before  appeared  in  Providence,  his  or- 
chestral department  being  also  of  unusual  strength.  He  had 
also  made  many  engagements  with  other  actors  in  New  York, 
and,  after  he  had  inaugurated  his  season,  they  were  contin- 
ually arriving  in  town.  Unfortunately  he  had  over-estimated 
the  inclination  of  the  public  towards  dramatic  entertainments, 
and  for  several  weeks  his  receipts  rarely  equalled  the  amount 
of  salaries  he  had  engaged  to  pay.  The  dancers,  Mons.  and 
Mdme.  Charles  Ronzi  Vestris,  brought  good  houses,  but  their 
aid  could  not  long  hold  up  his  sinking  fortunes.  His  chief 
attraction  was  Mrs.  Austin,  an   eminent    vocalist,  whose  per- 

I  Cowell's  T/iir/y  Years  Among  the  Players. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  IO5 

sonal  beauty  was  celebrated.  He  soon  found  himself  unable 
to  pay  his  company,  and,  at  the  same  time,  his  other  creditors 
were  clamorous  for  their  pay.  For  a  few  days  he  purchased 
peace  with  promises,  but  at  length  the  actors  rebelled,  and 
officers  were  understood  to  have  writs  for  his  arrest.  At  this 
juncture  a  few  friends  clandestinely  took  him  to  a  steamer, 
hid  him  in  an  obscure  corner,  and  he  soon  distanced  his  pur- 
suers. 

The  distressed  condition  of  the  performers  induced  them 
to  give  a  performance  in  order  to  obtain  means  of  reaching 
other  places  ;  and  Mr.  John  Duff  happening  to  be  in  town, 
was  announced  in  the  tragedy  of  "Venice  Preserved."  The 
receipts  did  not  exceed  fifty  dollars,  but  with  this  sum  and  a 
liberal  gift  from  Mrs.  Austin,  who  was  rich,  and  said  to  be 
the  wife  of  an  English  baronet,  they  managed  to  reach  more 
hospitable  cities. 

Three  of  the  company,  Gobright,  Read,  and  another,  were 
journeymen  printers,  and,  procuring  some  employment  in  one 
of  the  printing-offices  here,  they  managed  to  secure  means 
to  enable  them  to  get  away. 

Phillips  was  really  an  honest  man  in  his  intentions,  and  it 
was  his  misfortune,  rather  than  his  fault,  that  he  miscalcu- 
lated the  patronage  of  the  town.  He  was  always  unlucky 
in  his  speculations,  and  died  some  years  ago  in  New  York, 
in  indigent  circumstances,  just  as  he  had  paid  up,  it  was  said, 
his  dues  to  the  Dramatic  Association  Fund,  and  was  fancy- 
ing himself  provided  with  a  moderate  subsistence  for  his  old 
age. 

The  unprofitable  results  of  the  last  few  seasons,  gave  a 
death-blow  to  an  enterprise  which  several  public-spirited  citi- 
zens had  been  planning  for  two  or  three  years.  The  success 
of  the  old  theatre  for  several  seasons  had  been  so  decided, 
that  the  stockholders  were  receiving  an  interest  of  more  than 
thirty  per  cent,  on  their  property  ;  and,  on  benefit  occasions, 
it  not  unfrequently  happened  that  all  seeking  admittance 
could  not  be  accommodated.  In  the  spring  of  1825,  shares 
in  the  theatre  stock,  which  a  few  years  before  could  haw- 
been  bought  at  sixty-five  dollars,  sold  at  public  auction  for 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  each.  In  1827  the  news- 
papers had  advocated  the  erection  of  a  new  theatre,  capable 
of  being  used  in  winter  as  well  as  in  summer,  and  in  appear- 


106  HISTORY    OF    THE 

ance  and  commodiousness  befitting  the  increasing  prosperity 
of  the  town;  The  proposed  site  was  a  lot  in  the  rear  of 
Colonel  Atwell's  estate,  and  had  frontage  on  Dorrance,  Pine 
and  Orange  streets.  At  this  time  the  gentleman  who  was 
the  most  zealous  promoter  of  the  project  died,  and  the  sub- 
ject was  temporarily  abandoned.  In  April,  1829,  another 
movement  was  made  in  the  same  direction.  A  plan  of  the 
contemplated  theatre,  drawn  by  Warren  and  Bucklin,  was  on 
exhibition  at  Mr.  Dinneford's  office,  where  books  were 
opened  for  subscriptions  for  the  stock,  the  value  of  the  shares 
being  fixed  at  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  affair  how- 
ever lagged,  and,  business  being  everywhere  in  a  depressed 
condition,  it  was  soon  dropped.  Theatricals  felt  the  effects 
of  the  stagnation  in  commerce,  and  from  this  time  the  occu- 
pation of  Providence  managers  became  more  and  more  un- 
profitable. 

On  the  16th  of  November,  Booth  began  an  engagement  in 
Boston.  He  performed  one  or  two  nights  with  fine  effect, 
when  he  was  taken  ill,  and  obliged  to  keep  his  room.  He  at 
length  improved  in  health,  and  was  announced  December  7th 
as  Ludovico  in  "  Evadne."  The  house  was  crowded  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  about  one  thousand  dollars  being  taken  at 
the  doors. 

"  Mr.  Booth's  first  entrance  on  the  stage  denoted  something  unusual. 
He  was  careless  and  hesitating  in  his  delivery,  and  his  countenance  had 
none  of  its  customary  expression.  He  would  falter  in  his  discourse,  jum- 
ble scraps  of  other  plays  in  his  dialogue,  run  to  the  prompter's  side  of  the 
stage,  and  lean  against  the  wings,  while  the  prompter  endeavored  to  help 
him  forward  in  the  play,  by  speaking  out  the  language  of  his  part  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  in  the  galleries.  In  this  manner  he  made  a  shift  to 
get  through  the  first  two  acts  of  the  tragedy.  Those  familiar  with  the 
theatre  saw  very  plainly  that  something  was  rotten  in  the  state  of  Den- 
mark ;  but  a  great  proportion  of  the  audience,  not  knowing  much  of  his 
manner  of  acting,  did  not  comprehend  the  business,  but  only  looked  on, 
and  wondered  that  an  actor  of  so  much  celebrity  could  play  with  so  little 
spirit — some  even  doubting  his  identity. 

"  Still  the  play  progressed  ;  and,  in  the  early  part  of  the  third  act,  while 
he  was  engaged  in  parlance  with  the  King  of  Naples,  the  audience  were 
surprised  by  his  suddenly  breaking  off  from  the  measured  heroical  dig- 
nity of  his  stage  tone,  and,  with  a  comical  simper,  falling  at  once  into  a 
colloquial,  gossiping  sort  of  chatter  with  His  Majesty,  thus  :  '  Upon  my 
word,  sir,  I  don't  know,  sir,'  etc.  For  a  moment  all  was  silence,  when 
Mr.  Booth  turning  round,  and  facing  the  spectators,  began  to  address 
them  in  this  manner :  'Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  really  don't  know  this 
part.     I  studied  it  only  once  before,  much  against  my  inclination,     I  will 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  IOJ 

read  the  part,  and  the  play  shall  go  on.  By  your  leave  the  play  shall  go 
on,  and  Mr.  Wilson  shall  read  the  part  for  me.  Here  an  overpowering 
burst  of  hissing  and  exclamations  rose  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  while 
Mr.  Booth  continued  to  face  the  audience  with  a  grinning  look,  which 
at  length  broke  out  into  an  open  laugh.  Mr.  Smith  then  came  from  be- 
hind the  scenes  and  led  him  off,  Mr.  Booth  exclaiming  :  '  I  can't  read  ; 
I'm  a  charity  boy ; '  (in  reference  probably  to  his  part  in  the  afterpiece) 
'  I  can't  read — take  me  to  the  Lunatic  Hospital ! '  Here  the  drop  curtain 
fell  amid  the  murmurs  and  hisses  of  the  spectators. 

"  Mr.  Smith  then  appeared  in  front,  and  explained  to  the  audience  that 
Mr.  Booth  was  subject  to  fits  of  temporary  insanity,  and  that  such  was 
his  condition  at  present,  assuring  them  that  his  indisposition  could  not 
be  attributed  to  the  effects  of  liquor,  as  his  attendants,  who  had  been  with 
him  through  the  day,  averred  that  he  had  tasted  nothing  of  a  spirituous 
kind. 

"Mr.  Booth  was  immediately  carried  to  his  lodgings,  and,  his  disorder 
having  increased,  it  was  on  Wednesday  deemed  advisable  to  obtain  a  con- 
sultation as  to  the  propriety  of  placing  him  in  the  Lunatic  Asylum;  but, 
on  repairing  to  his  room,  he  was  not  to  be  found.  Search  was  made  for 
him,  but  the  only  information  that  could  be  obtained  was,  that  he  had 
applied  at  the  Marlboro'  Hotel  for  a  seat  in  the  Providence  stage ;  but 
hearing  that  the  stage  had  already  departed,  he  went  off,  and  whither,  no 
one  knew.  It  was  not  until  the  arrival  of  a  stage  from  Providence,  that 
intelligence  was  conveyed  by  the  driver  that  on  Wednesday  he  met  Mr. 
Booth  between  Dedham  and  Walpole,  on  foot,  and  almost  destitute  of 
clothing,  walking  towards  Providence.  He  reached  Providence  on  Thurs- 
day, having  slept,  as  it  was  supposed,  in  the  woods  on  Wednesday 
night.'  i 

• 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  here  he  proceeded  to  Dem- 
ing's  sailor  boarding-house,  at  the  junction  of  South  Main 
and  Wickenden  streets,  which  he  reached  in  his  stocking 
feet,  having  thrown  away  his  shoes.  It  was  soon  noised  over 
the  town  that  Booth,  in  miserable  plight,  had  gone  there; 
and  the  news  coming  to  the  ears  of  his  friend,  Col.  Josiah 
Jones,  he  at  once  hastened  to  the  place.  On  entering,  he  mel 
Booth,  who  gave  him  a  kindly  greeting,  and  asked  him  to  take 
off  his  boots  that  he,  Booth,  might  try  them  on.  Colonel 
Jones  complied  with  this  strange  request,  and  was  surprised 
to  see  him  after  putting  them  on,  leave  the  house  without  a 
word.  Colonel  Jones  borrowed  a  pair  of  shoes  oi  Mr.  Dem 
ing,  and  overtook  Mr.  Booth,  whom  he  found  hurrying  along 
the  street  in  a  highly  excited  manner.  He  at  once  took  him 
in  charge  and  led  him  to  his  own  residence  on  Aborn  street. 
In  a  few  days  Mr.  Booth's  fit  passed  away,  and  a  rational 
frame  of  mind  ensued.      Many  visitors    flocked   to   the  house 

1  Clapp's  Record  of  the  Boston  Stagea 


IOS  HISTORY    OF    THE 

to  see  and  converse  with  the  eccentric  actor.  One  Sunday 
evening  when  the  parlor  was  filled  with  company, — mostly 
religious  people,  who  were  unaccustomed  to  attend  the  theatre, 
but  none  the  less  desirous  of  witnessing  the  effect  which  he 
was  capable  of  producing  by  his  skill  in  elocution, — Colonel 
Jones  asked  him  to  read  some  selections  for  the  gratification 
of  the  visitors.  He  yielded  assent,  and  desired  that  a  Bible 
should  be  brought.  He  was  provided  with  one,  and,  opening 
it  with  reverence,  he  chose  a  passage  and  began  to  read.  As 
his  impressive  voice  was  heard,  every  sound  was  hushed,  and 
the  reading  proceeded  in  perfect  silence.  The  words  of  in- 
spiration continued  to  flow  from  the  lips  of  the  reader,  sobs 
were  occasionally  heard,  and,  when  he  had  concluded,  scarcely 
one  in  the  room  was  not  weeping.  All  testified  that  never 
before  had  the  sublimity  of  the  language  of  Holy  Writ  been 
made  apparent  to  them,  and  Booth  seized  the  opportunity  to 
descant  on  the  frame  of  mind  in  which  the  Scriptures  should 
be  approached,  and  to  condemn  the  soulless  readings  of  those 
pastors  who  read  as  an  unwelcome  task  to  listless  hearers  the 
awful  revelations  of  their  Maker. 

Mr.  Booth  did  not  immediately  regain  his  old  vigor  of 
mind.  He  had  some  lucid  intervals,  and  then  aberrations  of 
intellect  would  succeed,  continuing  so  long  that  sometimes  it 
was  feared  that  his  reason  was  completely  destroyed.  He  at 
length  so  far  recovered  that  it  was  deemed  safe  to  allow  his 
return  to  his  family.  He  was  received  in  New  York  by  Ed- 
win Forrest,  and,  after  a  little  rest,  proceeded  to  his  desti- 
nation. 

In  the  early  part  of  1830,  Mr.  Dinneford  made  some  im- 
provements in  the  equipments  of  the  stage,  and  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  auditorium.  He  substituted  light  iron 
pillars  for  the  large  wooden  posts  which  had  supported  the 
galleries,  and  carried  the  lower  tier  of  boxes  forward,  thus 
gaining  a  few  more  box  seats.  He  also  procured  at  an 
expense  of  one  hundred  dollars,  a  new  act-drop,  painted  by 
Mr.  R.  Jones,  of  Boston,  which  was  much  disliked  by  the 
patrons  of  the  house,  many  of  them  preferring  Warrall's  pan- 
oramic view  of  Providence,  which  had  been  in  constant  use 
since  18 12.  Mr.  Dinneford  made  a  public  explanation'  of  the 
reasons  for  the  change,  stating  that  the  old  drop,  haying  for 
several  years  been  deteriorating  in  appearance,  had  sustained 


PROVIDENXE    STAGE.  IO9 

such  additional  injury  during  the  past  winter  that  it  could 
not  be  safely  used.  The  public  continued  to  express  their 
dissatisfaction,  until  the  new  curtain  was  removed.  The  old 
favorite  was  then  rehung,  and  remained  in  its  accustomed 
place  as  long  as  the  building  was  used  as  a  theatre. 

Although  Mr.  George  Barrett  officiated  as  manager  during 
the  season,  the  lease  continued  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Dinne- 
ford.  This  gentleman  was  a  native  of  Somersetshire,  in 
England,  and  had  been  a  clerk  in  a  London  banking  house  ; 
but,  becoming  enamored  of  Isabella  Mordecai,  an  employe  of 
Drury  Lane  theatre,  he  married  her  and  came  to  the  United 
States  about  the  year  1825.  Changing  his  name  from  Ford 
to  Dinneford,  he  went  upon  the  stage,  but  failed  to  achieve 
any  marked  success  as  an  actor.  His  business  habits  being 
good,  he  was  employed  to  take  charge  of  a  large  equestrian 
and  dramatic  company,  in  the  capacity  of  treasurer  and  busi- 
ness manager.  This  company  he  brought  to  Providence,  on 
becoming  the  lessee  of  the  theatre.  Here  he  met  with  no 
profit,  except  during  the  engagement  of  Clara  Fisher,  and, 
after  one  season's  experience  as  a  theatrical  manager,  he 
became  a  broker  and  dealer  in  lotteries,  occasionally  acting 
as  an  auctioneer,  and  finally  opened  a  restaurant  on  West- 
minster street,  and  a  public  house  at  Horton's  Grove.  Fail- 
ing in  business  here,  he  removed  to  New  York,  opened  the 
Franklin  theatre  in  Chatham  street,  and  in  two  years  accum- 
ulated a  fortune.  He  then  rebuilt  the  Bowery  theatre,  which 
had  just  been  destroyed  by  fire,  and  became  a  bankrupt. 
After  this  reverse  he  travelled  several  years  as  the  manager 
of  a  troupe  of  strollers,  and  finally  started  for  California.  He 
stopped  at  Panama  to  open  a  hotel,  but  soon  fell  a  victim  to 
the  climate. 

The  business  of  the  theatre  proved  so  unremunerative  that 
it  was  kept  open  only  a  few  weeks.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barrett, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  II.  Smith,  and  several  other  actors  of  e\ 
lent  talents,  had  little  power  of  attraction,  and,  save  the  brief 
engagements  of  Clara  Fisher,  and  Hackett,  who  played  a 
round  of  Yankee  characters,  the  whole  season  was  unfor- 
tunate. 

In  October,  Monsieur  Villaneuve,  with  a  small  company  oi 
acrobats,  gave  a  series  of  entertainments  upon  the  stage,  and, 
to  increase  his  audiences,  introduced  a  system,  then   novel, 


IIO  HISTORY    OF    THE 

but  bearing  a  resemblance  to  the  "gift  concerts"  of  a  later 
day.  The  lotteries  which  were  then  authorized  for  public 
purposes  were  well  patronized,  and  tickets  were  sold  by  Mr. 
Dinneford  at  his  office  near  "  Lucky  Corner,"  as  he  termed 
the  junction  of  North  Main  street  and  Market  Square.  Mon- 
sieur Villaneuve  each  night  distributed  among  those  present 
at  his  exhibitions  ten  tickets  in  these  lotteries,  each  pur- 
chaser of  a  box  seat  being  entitled  to  two  chances  for  a 
ticket,  and  each  purchaser  of  a  seat  in  the  upper  boxes,  the 
pit,  or  the  gallery  having  one  chance. 

After  Mr.  Dinneford's  retirement  from  the  management  he 
still  retained  the  lease,  as  has  been  before  stated,  but  sub-let 
the  theatre  to  any  one  making  application  for  it.  At  length, 
however,  losses  in  business  compelled  him  to  assign  his 
rights  to  two  friends,  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  money 
advanced  by  them  to  him  in  his  necessities.  These  gentle- 
men, Messrs.  Philip  Case  and  William  Marshall,  let  the  build- 
ing with  the  scenery  and  properties  to  traveling  companies, 
and  others  desirous  of  experimenting  with  the  dramatic  in- 
clinations of  the  citizens.  Thus,  in  March,  1831,  a  company 
of  actors  were  brought  here  by  Mr.  Richard  Russell,  for  the 
purpose  of  presenting  Master  Burke,  the  young  Irish  Roscius, 
as  he  was  called.  This  prodigy  played  here  eleven  nights 
with  good  success,  the  houses  several  times  containing  three 
hundred  dollars.  One  of  these  performances  took  place  on 
Saturday  evening,  being  the  second  time  that  a  performance 
was  ever  given  in  Providence  on  that  evening  of  the  week ; 
and  the  smallness  of  the  audience  showed  that  even  at  that 
late  day  the  public  were  indisposed  to  countenance  innova- 
tions upon  their  New  England  habits  and  principles.  Mas- 
ter Burke  was  really  a  marvellous  boy,  and,  in  his  renditions, 
displayed  talents  surpassing  those  of  many  well  reputed  actors 
of  mature  years,  lie  spoke  with  force  and  feeling,  but  at 
the  end  of  a  long  performance  he  usually  showed  signs  of 
fatigue,  as  was  but  natural  in  one  so  young.  He  was  accus- 
tomed between  the  plays  to  take  a  violin,  and  lead  the 
orchestra,  where  his  masterly  execution  of  difficult  music 
never  failed  to  excite  the  admiration  of  the  audience. 

At  this  time  Chapel  street  was  very  steep  at  its  western 
end.  Beginning  at  Burrill  street  was  a  famous  coasting 
ground.     While  the  infant  prodigy  was  in  the  evening  de- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  I  I 

lighting  the  town  with  his  acting,  in  the  daytime  he  could 
have  been  seen  enjoying  the  pastime  of  coasting  with  many 
playmates.  A  constable  came  there  and  warned  them  that 
they  ran  the  risk  of  being  fined,  and  as  they  were  at  this  in- 
timation about  to  suspend  their  sport,  Master  Burke  changed 
their  determination  by  crying  out,  "Go  ahead,  boys,  and  if 
any  of  you  are  fined,  I'll  pay  it  all." 

In  December  of  the  same  year  a  company  from  New  York 
kept  the  theatre  open  several  weeks,  just  long  enough  to  run 
themselves  out  of  cash  and  into  debt.  They  were  without 
means  to  leave  town,  and,  in  their  distress,  their  manager, 
Andrew  W.  Jackson,  applied  to  Mr.  S.  S.  Southworth,  to 
write  them  a  play  which  would  draw  the  unwilling  public. 
He  accordingly  with  much  expedition  wrote  a  three  act  drama, 
entitled  :  "The  Capture  of  Prescott,  or  the  Heroism  of  Bar- 
ton." This  play  was  hastily  produced,  and  for  several  nights 
attracted  remunerative  houses,  supplying  the  players  with 
funds  enough  to  return  to  New  York.  The  heroine  was  per- 
sonated by  Miss  Eliza  Emery,  who  had  once  been  a  leading 
actress,  and  had  lately  straggled  into  Providence  under  pecu- 
liar circumstances.  One  of  the  last  nights  being  assigned 
for  her  benefit,  she  appeared  upon  the  stage  in  such  a  condi- 
tion as  to  be  unable  to  utter  the  words  of  her  part.  This 
misguided  woman,  who  had  once  been  lauded  by  certain  crit- 
ics as  superior  to  Mrs.  Siddons,  and  had  caused  acrimonious 
contests  between  rival  managers  in  their  efforts  to  secure  her 
talents,  died  several  years  later  in  squalid  poverty,  debased 
by  her  degrading  vices. 

The  prominent  feature  of  the  play  was  the  part  of  Guy 
Watson,  personated  by  Mr.  McGuire,  an  excellent  delinea- 
tor of  Ethiopian  characters  before  T.  D.  Rice  and  others 
had  acquired  distinction  in  that  line.  The  author  had  writ- 
ten him  a  song  called  "  Cold  Frosty  Morning,"  and  on  its 
execution  depended  in  a  great  measure  the  success  of  the 
part.  From  indolence,  or  from  inability  to  perceive  any 
merit  in  the  song,  he  refused  to  learn  it,  and  substituted 
"The  Coal  Black  Rose."  The  disgusted  author  could  not 
by  entreaties  change  the  determination  of  the  actor,  but  at 
length  found  a  convincing  argument  ;  and  then  Mr.  Maguire, 
with  a  bank  note  in  his  pocket,  committed  to  memory  the 
words  of  the  song,  and  sang  it.     It  "  took"    immensely,  and 


I  12  HISTORY    OF    THE 

was  subsequently  a  favorite  with  Ethiopian  serenaders.  The 
play  gave  rise  to  some  ill  feeling,  as  it  was  supposed  by  some 
that  the  dramatist  had  indulged  his  party  prejudices  and  indi- 
vidual malevolence  in  writing  the  language  of  one  or  two  of 
the  dramatis pcrsonce ;  but  for  this  suspicion  there  was  no 
foundation. 

The  last  manager  who  essayed  to  make  the  old  theatre 
profitable  was  Thomas  Hilson.  His  initial  performance  took 
place  Feb.  13,  1832,  when  the  entire  receipts  of  the 
evening  were  given  by  him  to  the  Providence  Charitable 
Fuel  Society  ;  a  proceeding  calling  to  remembrance  that  of 
David  Douglass,  when  seeking  to  propitiate  an  unsympa- 
thetic public.  The  final  performance  occurred  March  23, 
1832,  and  consisted  of  Shakspeare's  comedy,  "  The  Merry 
Wives  of  Winsor;"  the  music  of  Macbeth  sung  as  an  inter- 
lude by  the  company;  and  the  farce  of  "The  Sleepwalker." 
Mrs.  Hilson,  formerly  the  popular  and  admired  Miss  Johnson, 
recited  in  the  guise  of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  an  epilogue 
written  by  Mr.  Southworth,  into  which  had  been  introduced 
a  compliment  to  Andrew  Jackson,  which  was  vociferously 
applauded  ;  followed  by  a  flattering  allusion  to  Henry  Clay, 
which  as  most  of  the  audience  were  "locofocos  "  was  vehe- 
mently hissed.  This  epilogue  having  been  mutilated  in  the 
green  room  before  its  delivery,  was  subsequently  published 
entire  by  the  author. 

At  this  final  performance  Mr.  Hilson  sustained  the  part  of 
SirJoJui  Falstaff.  He  had  stuffed  for  the  fat  knight  with  an 
unusual  quantity  of  packing,  and  was  waiting  to  be  summoned 
to  the  stage  from  his  dressing-roong  below  it.  When  the 
time  for  his  entrance  upon  the  scene  arrived,  he  attempted 
to  mount  the  staircase,  but  to  his  dismay  found  that  he  was 
too  bulky  to  pass  up  the  narrow  stairs.  What  was  to  be 
done  he  could  not  at  first  decide ;  for,  if  he  should  undress 
and  then  remake  his  person,  the  stage  would  be  kept  waiting 
long  beyong  the  patience  of  the  audience  ;  and  he  was  on 
the  point  of  having  the  matter  laid  before  them,  when,  at  the 
suggestion  of  a  bystander,  he  was  led  to  a  large  trap  in  the 
centre  of  the  stage  behind  the  scene,  through  which  he  was 
speedily  hoisted  by  the  supernumeraries,  and  was  thus 
enabled  to  appear  before  the  spectators  with  scarcely  any 
delay.     Such  an  accident  can  not  happen  in  these  days  of 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  I  3 

invention  to  the  actor  playing  Falstaff,  who  has  now  merely 
to  don  an  india  rubber  undersuit,  which  can  be  inflated  to 
any  required  size,  like  a  life-preserver. 

The  theatre  was  now  sold  by  the  stockholders  to  the  cor- 
poration of  Grace  Church,  who  at  once  proceeded  to  make 
the  alterations  requisite  for  the  purposes  to  which  the  build- 
ing was  to  be  appropriated,  despite  the  remonstrances  of  the 
lessees,  who  offered  no  obstacles  from  a  desire  of  maintaining 
further  theatrical  performances,  but  because  they  deemed 
themselves  entitled  to  compensation  for  the  remaining  por- 
tion of  their  unexpired  term.  This  amount  they  were  willing 
to  receive  in  pew  stock,  instead  of  money,  because  they  were 
not  unwilling  to  aid  the  church.  Their  claims  being  disre- 
garded, litigation  would  have  ensued,  had  not  the  dispute 
been  unexpectedly  terminated  by  the  accidental  omission 
of  the  lessees  to  tender  their  rent  on  a  day  certain,  accord- 
ing to  the  conditions  of  the  lease.  The  corporation  promptly 
availed  themselves  of  the  laches  of  their  opponents,  and, 
refusing  the  money  proffered  three  days  too  late,  proceeded 
with  their  original  intention,  and  altered  the  theatre  into  a 
place  of  worship.  It  continued  to  be  used  for  religious  pur- 
poses a  number  of  years,  when  it  was  torn  down,  and  re- 
placed by  the  statelier  structure,  which  now  forming  the  chief 
ornament  of  that  part  of  the  city,  is  the  seat  of  the  Bishop 
of  Rhode  Island. 

The  process  of  demolition  revealed  traces  of  the  earlier 
uses  of  the  old  edifice,  and  vestiges  of  its  former  occupants. 
As  the  plastering  was  removed  where  the  stage  had  been, 
especially  near  that  part  where  the  scene  painter's  gallery 
once  hung,  there  became  visible  upon  the  walls,  painted  in 
vacant  hours,  the  names  of  the  actors,  who  in  days  gone  by 
had  been  the  darlings  of  the  town,  but  were  now  sleeping  in 
their  unknown  graves.  Thus  had  the  listless  hands  of  idle- 
ness given  brief  resurrection  to  the  almost  forgotten  past, 
and  the  bystanders  who  had  lingered  to  look  their  last  upon 
the  disappearing  monument,  sighed  as  they  recalled  the  forms 
of  those  who  had  been  the  delight  and  wonder  of  their  youth, 
and  walked  away  heavy  with  tender  recollections.  Had  the 
names  uncovered  by  the  falling  plaster  been  those  of  the 
recognized  benefactors  of  their  day  and  generation — men  who 
had  contributed   largely  to  the  material  wealth  of  the  town, 


I  14  HISTORY    OF    THE 

building  it  up  until  it  had  become  a  prosperous  city — they 
would  not  have  evoked  such  kindly  emotions  as  were  produced 
by  the  sight  of  these  mementos  of  thriftless,  houseless,  but 
joyous  players.     Who  can  explain  the  marvel  ? 

The  loss  of  the  theatre  was  but  little  lamented,  for  of  late 
years  the  taste  for  the  drama  had  declined  among  the  opulent 
citizens,  and  theatrical  performances  had  been  attended  by 
another  class  of  frequenters ;  the  stockholders  and  their 
families  never  entering  the  doors,  except  on  very  rare  occa- 
sions, such  as  the  last  engagement  of  Cooper,  in  1828,  when 
there  was  a  large  assemblage  of  his  old  friends,  many  of 
whom  had  not  witnessed  a  play  since  his  former  visit  to 
Providence,  several  years  previous.  So  little  interest  was 
manifested  by  the  old  supporters  of  the  stage  for  plays,  that 
they  were  accustomed  to  send  their  tickets  to  certain  shops 
to  be  sold  each  day  at  an  abatement  from  the  price  demanded 
at  the  box-office ;  and,  in  case  they  could  not  find  purchasers, 
the  tickets  were  given  to  lads  and  servants.  The  attendance 
during  the  last  two  years  of  the  existence  of  the  theatre  was 
so  small,  that  not  unfrequently  the  books  showed  a  sum  less 
than  ten  dollars  as  the  receipts  of  an  evening's  performance. 
As  a  consequence  the  house  was  allowed  to  fall  out  of  repair, 
and  it  soon  became  unsightly,  the  proprietors  being  unwill- 
ing, and  the  managers  unable  to  make  expenditures  in  its 
improvement.  The  green  curtain,  suspended  within  the  pro- 
scenium arch  in  the  days  of  Mr.  Harper,  hung  there  thirty- 
five  years,  becoming  full  of  rents;  the  boards  of  the  stage 
were  splintered  or  warped  ;  the  box-doors  would  not  latch, 
and  an  appearance  of  shabbiness  pervaded  the  place.  In 
winter,  the  building  was  insufficiently  warmed,  and,  in  sum- 
mer, the  smell  of  the  oil  lamps  was  so  offensive  as  to  make  it 
unpleasant  for  the  spectators. 

The  little  fact  that  at  the  final  performance  the  utterance 
of  the  name  of  Henry  Clay  was  the  signal  for  groans  and 
hisses,  well  illustrates  the  great  change  that  had  occurred  in 
the  character  of  the  audiences.  The  old  patrons  of  the  the- 
atre, it  will  be  remembered,  were  federalists,  and  their  oppo- 
nents, democrats.  Now,  democrats  alone  patronized  plays, 
and  a  turbulent  audience  they  often  were.  The  entertain- 
ments were  sometimes  interrupted  by  the  concerted  action  of 
a  number  of  the  regular  attendants,  who  assumed  an  arbitrary 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  I  1 5 

•control  over  the  managers.  They  were  never  regularly 
organized  as  a  club,  but  their  constant  presence,  their  simi- 
larity of  tastes,  and  their  mischievous  dispositions  formed  a 
bond  of  union,  and  gave  them  the  appearance  of  an  organ- 
ization, to  which,  as  some  of  the  most  prominent  were  shoe- 
makers' journeymen  or  apprentices,  was  given  the  nickname 
of  "The  Shoemakers'  Literary  and  Dramatic  Society."  It 
was  under  the  guidance  of  these  competent  leaders,  that,  in 
1828  and  1829,  several  attempts  at  rioting  were  made,  which 
are  recounted  in  the  next  chapter. 

When  the  theatre  was  not  occupied  for  dramatic  purposes, 
the  proprietors  let  it  to  travelling  exhibitors,  and  upon  its 
stage  took  place  entertainments  of  every  kind,  from  the 
chemical  lectures  of  Professor  D'Wolf,  to  the  tricks  of  jug- 
glers and  posturers. 

The  Providence  theatre  was  frequently  selected  for  the 
first  appearances  of  aspirants  for  dramatic  honors,  who,  if 
successful,  would  remain  upon  its  stage  a  few  weeks  to  acquire- 
some  experience  before  facing  a  metropolitan  audience.  Of 
course,  the  greater  number  of  these  debutants  had  few  quali- 
fications for  theatrical  success,  and,  after  their  first  night, 
were  no  more  seen.  A  few,  however,  would  persevere,  and, 
in  time  would  become  accomplished  actors.  It  is  difficult  to 
correctly  assign  the  date  of  each  ddbut,  inasmuch  as  the  bills 
in  order  to  excite  public  curiosity,  never  gave  any  names  ; 
merely  announcing  "the  first  appearance  on  any  stage  of  a 
young  gentleman."  In  the  next  chapter  the  incidents  attend- 
ing several  of  these  first  appearances  are  narrated. 


CHAPTER    X. 

J.  T.  Buckingham— Alexander  Drake— John  Savage— Henry  Field- 
ing—Edward Padelford  —  John  Hart  — George  Hazard— Seth 
Ballou— Mr.  Holden— Edward  Quarles— Charles  Edward  Ball 
—Other  debutants— Riotous  conduct  of  the  audience— Mr. 
Waldegrave— Spear. 

IN  the  summer  of  the  year  1803,  Mr.  Joseph  Tinker  Buck- 
ingham, whose  original  family  name  was  Tinker,  made  his 
first  appearance  on  any  stage,  in  Providence,  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Harper.  He  was  then  a  journeyman 
printer,  but  subsequently  became  famous  as  a  dramatic  critic, 
and  as  editor  of  the  Boston  Galaxy,  the  Boston  Daily  Cou- 
rier, and  the  New  England  Magazine,  He  also  became  dis- 
tinguished as  a  legislator  and  statesman,  if  that  title  can  be 
applied  to  one  whose  parliamentary  efforts  were  confined  to 
the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, and  sprang  from  a  very  obscure  parentage,  but  by 
dint  of  industry,  aided  by  natural  talents,  he  attained  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  distinction.  As  a  critic  he  was  regarded 
as  among  the  ablest,  and  a  line  from  his  pen  was  sure  to  de- 
cide the  fate  of  an  actor,  or  of  a  book. 

In  an  interesting  work,  entitled  "  Personal  Memoirs,"  he 
gives  an  account  of  his  experience  on  the  stage ;  from  which 
it  appears  that  he  adopted  the  life  of  a  player  for  the  sake  of 
relaxation,  and  with  the  hope  that  he  might  also  benefit  the 
condition  of  his  purse.  This  latter  expectation  was  not  real- 
ized ;  his  share  of  the  profits  of  Mr.  Harper's  scheme  being 
so  small,  that  it  scarcely  paid  his  board  and  incidental  ex- 
penses. His  first  appearance  as  an  actor  was  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Uncle,  in  the  tragedy  of  "  George  Barnwell,  or  the 
London  Apprentice."  In  a  marginal  note  on  page  54,  Vol- 
ume I.,  of  "Personal  Memoirs,"  Mr.  Buckingham  thus  refers 
to  the  Providence  company  of  the  year  1803  : 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  I  I  7 

••  Some  readers  may  be  curious  to  know  of  whom  this  company  was 
composed,  and  what  rank  the  writer  held  in  it.  The  individuals  compris- 
ing it,  besides  myself,  were  Bates  and  his  daughter  (afterwards  Mrs. 
Barnes),  Harper  and  his  wife,  Darley  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Simpson,  mother 
of  Mrs.  Darley,  Djkes  and  his  wife,  West  and  Perkins  from  the  Virginia 
theatres,  and  a  man  named  Hayman,  as  green  a  cockney  as  ever  migrated 
from  the  sound  of  the  Bow  bells,. who  sometimes  took  the  prompter's 
book,  but  was  chiefly  employed  with  a  son  of  Bates  in  running  the  scen- 
ery, and  performing  the  duty  of  property  man.  There  was  really  no  talent 
in  the  company  except  what  belonged  to  the  Bateses,  the  Harpers,  and  the 
Darleys.  Yet,  by  doubling  and  trebling,  they  contrived  to  get  up  "Absel- 
lino,"  (then  in  the  height  of  its  popularity,)  "Alexander  the  Great," 
"Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "The  Mountaineers,"  "The  Poor  Gentleman," 
"Count  Benyowsky,"  "Blue  Beard,"  "The  Point  of  Honor,  "Child  of 
Nature,"  etc.  Old  Doctor  Shaffer,  as  he  was  called,  long  known  as  the 
second  violin  player  in  the  Boston  theatre,  was  the  leader  of  the  orches- 
tra, which  consisted  of  one  fiddler  beside  himself,  and  occasionally  a 
couple  of  students  in  Brown  University,  who  volunteered  as  amateurs, 
with  a  violin  and  a  flute,  or  clarionet.  Readers  may  smile  at  the  idea  of 
such  a  company  performing  the  pieces  above  mentioned;  but  I  have  seen 
plays  as  badly  mangled  and  cut  up,  and  played  with  no  more  spirit  or 
propriety  in  Boston  or  New  York.  The  receipts  of  this  summer's  work 
(it  was  work  and  not  play)  were  barely  sufficient  to  pay  expenses." 

The  old  Doctor  Shaffer  referred  to  by  Mr.  Buckingham, 
was  a  German  ;  the  father  of  Mr.  Francis  Shaffer,  who  was 
for  many  years  a  teacher  of  dancing  in  Providence.  After  the 
Doctor's  death,  the  orchestra  consisted  of  old  Mr.  Granger 
and  his  son,  Thomas,  and  was  never  much  augmented,  ex- 
cept on  special  occasions,  until  Mr.  Dinneford  became  lessee 
of  the  theatre,  when  he  introduced  a  tolerable  band  of  six  or 
seven  performers,  led  by  Mr.  James  Meader,  who  afterwards 
married  Clara  Fisher,  and  assumed  the  management  of  the 
Dorrance  street  theatre. 

In  July,  181 1,  Master  Alexander  Drake,  then  about  eleven 
years  of  age,  was  introduced  to  the  stage,  and  sang  the 
"  Curly  Headed  Boy."  His  performance  was  loudly  ap- 
plauded, and  gave  evidence  of  the  possession  of  those  tal- 
ents which  ultimately  placed  him  in  the  foremost  rank  of  low 
comedians.  He  was  the  son  of  Mr.  Samuel  Drake,  the  pio- 
neer of  the  drama  in  the  west,  and  the  uncle  of  Miss  Julia 
Dean,  the  distinguished  actress,  who,  as  Mrs.  Hayne,  closed 
her  theatrical  career  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  died  in  New  York 
March  6,  1868.  She  was  born  July  22,  1830.  The  elder 
Drake,  who  enjoyed  a  well  merited  popularity  in  Boston  and 
Providence,  in  which  latter  place  several  of  his  children  were 
born,  had  a  very   large   family.      With   them   he   travelled  to 


I  iS  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Cincinnati,  and  opened  a  theatre,  his  family  constituting  his 
entire  force.  He  subsequently  gave  dramatic  representations 
in  Louisville  and  Lexington,  Kentucky ;  and  it  was  by  his 
efforts  that  the  drama  was  permanently  established  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Mississippi. 

In  July,  1 8 14,  Mr.  John  Savage  made  his  first  appearance 
in  Providence,  and  his  debut  upon  the  stage.  He  was  a  native 
of  Jamaica,  and  had  been  sent  to  this  country  to  be  educated 
at  Harvard  University.  Becoming  enamored  of  Miss  Eliza- 
beth White,  of  the  Boston  and  Providence  company,  a  very 
plain  girl  and  a  poor  actress,  he  married  her,  and  adopted  the 
stage  as  a  profession.  His  first  attempt  was  a  complete  fail- 
ure, but  he  persevered  in  his  design,  and  at  length  became  a 
respectable  "walking  gentleman."  He  afterwards  played  in 
Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  and,  in  1817,  joined 
Drake's  company  in  Ohio,  and  Kentucky.  He  was  a  young 
man  of  pleasing  address,  and  won  many  personal  friends,  but 
as  an  actor  he  could  not  be  applauded.  About  the  year  1820, 
he  became  connected  with  a  steamboat  plying  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers  ;  and,  it  is  said,  that  this  steamer  once 
occupied  six  months  in  making  the  trip  from  New  Orleans  to 
Louisville,  Kentucky.  About  this  time  he  inherited  a  for- 
tune from  one  of  his  West  India  relatives,  and  soon  after- 
wards was  appointed  consul  in  Guatamala.  On  his  return  to 
the  United  States,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  died  in  1834. 

Nowithstanding  the  plainness  of  Savage's  wife,  he  fondly 
doted  upon  her,  and  would  not  allow  any  one  to  speak  dis- 
paragingly of  her  professional  merits.  A  critic  having  been 
one  day  somewhat  harsh  in  the  tone  of  his  comments  in  one 
of  the  papers  concerning  Mrs.  Savage,  was  challenged  by  her 
indignant  husband  to  mortal  combat.  The  invitation  was 
accepted  ;  the  belligerents  had  a  meeting  at  Cold  Spring,  near 
the  Central  Bridge,  and,  the  aggressor,  a  Bostonian,  received 
a  dangerous  wound  in  his  thigh.  After  his  recovery  he  re- 
peated his  offence,  when  Savage  fell  upon  him  with  a  cow- 
hide, and  whipped  him  soundly.  In  other  cities  he  had  sev- 
eral encounters  with  the  newspaper  critics,  gaining  nothing 
but  hostility  by  his  too  readily  displayed  gallantry. 

A  year  or  two  later,  a  young  man,  named  Henry  Fielding, 
an  Irishman  by  birth,  who  had  received  a  collegiate  education 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  II9 

in  Dublin,  and  had  been  employed  as  a  lawyer's  clerk  in 
Boston,  made  his  first  appearance  on  any  stage,  in  Providence. 
He  became  a  good  actor,  and,  for  several  years,  was  attached 
to  the  Boston  and  Providence  company,  but  at  length  went 
to  New  York.  About  the  year  1825  he  returned  here,  and 
very  soon  had  a  collision  with  a  turbulent  portion  of  the  audi- 
ence, who  assumed  to  be  arbiters  of  the  fate  of  the  players. 
One  evening  he  pronounced  the  word  "revenue"  with  the 
accent  upon  the  penultimate  syllable,  and  the  self-constituted 
critics,  deciding  the  pronunciation  faulty,  insisted  that  he 
should  correct  it.  Fielding  refused,  and,  in  an  unlucky  mo- 
ment, asserted  that  there  was  not  an  American  who  was  com- 
petent to  speak  the  English  language  correctly.  For  this 
speech  he  was  denounced,  and  a  demonstration  was  made  of 
the  patriotic  intention  to  drive  from  the  stage  the  man  who 
had  insulted  the  American  people.  The  manager,  perceiving 
that  Mr.  Fielding's  imprudent  conduct  had  made  him  a  multi- 
tude of  enemies,  cancelled  his  engagement.  The  disgusted 
actor  forsook  the  stage,  and,  entering  mercantile  life,  be- 
came a  merchant  in  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

Near  this  time  Mr.  Edward  Padleford,  a  native  of  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  who  was  then  employed  as  a  clerk  in  Provi- 
dence, made  his  first  and  last  appearance  in  the  theatre  of 
this  town,  playing  the  character  of  Octavian  in  "  The  Moun- 
taineers." He  was  young,  handsome,  and  gifted  with  a  voice 
of  considerable  power  and  flexibility,  and  his  success  was  emi- 
nent beyond  precedent.  It  was  reported  that  he  had  been  led 
by  accident  to  play  the  part  he  appeared  in  on  the  night  of 
his  debut.  An  actor  had  attempted  the  personation  a  week  or 
two  before,  and  Mr.  Padelford,  condemning  the  delineation, 
thoughtlessly  said  that  he  could  play  a  better  Octavian  himself. 
He  was  instantly  challenged  to  make  good  his  words  ;  and,  as 
he  was  unwilling  to  appear  a  mere  braggart,  he  made  the 
necessary  arrangements,  mastered  the  part,  and  in  due  time 
was  announced.  Although  his  first  theatrical  effort  gave  in- 
dications of  capacity  for  a  high  rank  in  the  histrionic  profes- 
sion, he  declined  all  offers  from  the  manager,  and,  devoting  his 
energies  to  commerce,  became  an  influential  merchant. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  1826,  a  young  man,  named  John  Hart, 
the  son  of  a  worthy  blacksmith,  residing  in  Bristol,  commenced 
a  theatrical  career,  essaying  the  character  of  Reuben  Glenroyf 


120  HISTORY    OF    THE 

in  "Town  and  Country."  He  had  youth,  vigor,  and  a  comely 
person  in  his  favor,  but  he  possessed  but  little  of  the  talent 
essential  to  respectibility  as  an  actor.  A  party  of  warm  friends 
combined  to  give  him  encouragement,  but  their  injudicious 
and  clamorous  applause  served  only  to  secure  for  him  the 
steady  and  relentless  persecution  of  enemies.  His  supporters, 
in  order  to  control  public  opinion,  obtained  permission  to  pub- 
lish encomiums  upon  his  acting  in  one  of  the  contempo- 
raneous newspapers  ;  but  the  articles  were  of  such  a  fulsorhe 
character,  that  they  defeated  their  own  intention,  and  procured 
for  Hart  vollies  of  hisses  whenever  he  appeared.  He  played 
a  season  in  Boston,  and  then  after  discovering  that  success 
did  not  go  hand  in  hand  with  desire,  he  retired  from  the  stage, 
disheartened  by  his  failure. 

After  he  left  the  stage  he  sailed  to  the  coast  of  Africa  in  a 
vessel  belonging  to  Samuel  Sandford,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  in  whose 
employ  he  had  been  as  a  clerk  before  he  tried  acting.  He 
died  of  the  African  fever  and  was  buried  on  the  coast  there. 

George  Hazard,  an  actor,  who,  had  he  lived  to  maturity, 
would  have  eclipsed  all  his  contemporaries,  was  a  native  of 
Newport,  Rhode  Island.  He  was  a  grandson  of  George  Haz- 
ard, one  of  the  colonial  mayors  of  Newport,  and  son  of 
Nathaniel  Hazard,  a  member  of  Congress.  He  had  acquired  a 
taste  for  the  stage  in  his  youth,  and  had  played  once  or  twice 
with  some  amateurs  in  his  native  town.  On  the  occasion  of 
the  benefit  of  Mrs.  Young,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1828,  he  came 
to  Providence,  and  for  the  first  time  trod  the  regular  stage, 
enacting  Osmand  in  the  "The  Castle  Spectre."  He  also 
played  during  the  next  week,  Pierre  in  "Venice  Preserved," 
and  then  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  a  member  of  a 
theatrical  company  an  entire  season,  creating  so  favorable  an 
impression  that  he  was  engaged  to  play  in  Baltimore  and 
Richmond.  Wemyss,  in  his  CJironology  of  the  American 
Stage,  states  that  young  Hazard's  first  appearance  was  made 
in  the  Arch  street  theatre,  in  Philadelphia,  in  1830;  but  this 
is  manifestly  an  error.  Sometime  in  the  year  1830,  he  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  Thomas  S.  Hamblin,  who  transferred 
him  to  the  Bowery  theatre,  and  entrusted  him  with  "juvenile 
tragedy  "  and  "  leading  comedy."  He  immediately  won  the 
favor  of  the  patrons  of  the  house,  and,  in  a  few  months,  be- 
came a  reigning  star,  being  invested  with  all  the  great  Shaks- 
pearean  characters. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  121 

Hamblin  was  always  desirous  of  encouraging  talent,  riot 
merely  to  put  money  in  his  own  purse,  but  from  a  disinterested 
wish  to  develop  real  merit.  Under  his  management  Mr.  Hazard 
was  rapidly  making  a  brilliant  reputation,  when,  in  the  very 
outset  of  his  career,  he  fell  a  victim  of  the  small-pox.  Hamblin 
generously  erected  a  monument  to  his  memory,  and  his  loss 
was  long  mourned  by  those  who  knew  his  abundant  deserts. 

During  the  season  of  1827  or  1828,  another  aspirant  for 
theatrical  honors  appeared,  in  the  person  of  Seth  Ballou,  of 
Springfield,  who  was  then  pursuing  his  studies  in  Providence. 
Becoming  stage-smitten,  he  made  one  trial  here,  and  another 
at  the  Bowery  theatre,  but  he  met  with  so  cool  a  reception, 
that  he  abandoned  further  dramatic  attempts.  His  failure 
was  owing  rather  to  a  want  of  confidence  in  himself,  than  to 
any  lack  of  ability.  He  was  of  excellent  character,  had  a  fair 
education,  and,  with  perserverance,  would  have  become  a  good 
actor. 

This  period  was  prolific  in  debutants.  A  son  of  Mr.  Joel 
Adams,  the  keeper  of  India  Bridge  toll-house,  came  out  in  an 
insignificant  part,  and,  in  due  course  of  time,  was  playing  a 
very  respectable  line  of  parts.  In  after  years  he  became  the 
manager  of  several  southern  theatres,  and  his  name  was  con- 
spicious  on  the  bills  in  leading  characters. 

Mr.  Holden,  of  Boston,  made  a  first  appearance  upon  the 
Providence  stage  in  1828,  and  shortly  afterwards  was  entrusted 
with  the  part  of  Sir  John  Lambert  in  "The  Hypocrite." 
His  performance  was  so  tumultuously  hissed,  that  the  stage 
manager  was  obliged  to  go  forward,  and  demand  the  cause  of 
the  riotous  demonstrations.  No  response  being  made,  he 
descanted  on  the  rights  of  actors,  and  of  auditors,  and  assured 
the  audience  that  he  should  not  permit  the  rights  of  the  com- 
pany to  be  trampled  on  with  impunity.  They  play  was  then 
suffered  to  proceed  without  further  interruption.  Mr.  Holden 
eventually  attained  a  good  position  in  the  histrionic  profes- 
sion, and  married  in  Providence,  a  young  lady  of  high  respect- 
ability. 

Yet  another  candidate  for  popular  applause  made  a  first  ap- 
pearance on  the  30th  of  April,  [828.  It  was  Edward  Quarles, 
then  about  thirty  three-years  of  age,  and  a  paper  hanger  1>\ 
occupation,  having  once  been  an  apprentice  to  Thomas  Webb. 
He  had  received  few  advantages  from  education  but  was  gifted 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE 

with  an  intelligent  mind,  and  a  voice  of  great  compass.  He 
was  also  endowed  with  unusual  sarcastic  powers,  which  he 
wielded  on  all  occasions  with  such  effect  as  to  acquire  for  him- 
self a  host  of  enemies.  He  had  previously  tried  his  strength 
as  an  amateur  actor,  and  selected  for  his  regular  debut  the 
character  of  Mawivorm  in  "  The  Hypocrite,"  as  he  cherished 
a  bitter  animosity  toward  certain  preachers  who  had  gained 
much  influence  over  his  widowed  mother,  and  the  part  would 
afford  him  an  opportunity  for  mimicking  their  peculiarities. 
He  was  small  of  stature,  but  so  well  proportioned  that  upon 
the  stage  his  diminutive  size  was  scarcely  noticeable.  His 
appearance  had  been  announced  a  week  or  ten  days  previous, 
and,  his  name  being  concealed,  the  event  was  anticipated 
with  much  curiosity. 

Ouarles  studied  the  part  with  diligence,  and  had  the  bene- 
fit of  several  rehearsals.  He  was  therefore  eager  for  the  trial 
night.  An  expectant  audience  filled  the  seats,  conspicuous 
among  them  being  the  band  of  despotic  critics  to  whom  ref- 
erence has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages.  They  were 
present  in  full  force,  and  eager  for  action.  As  Mawivorm 
does  not  enter  until  near  the  close  of  the  first  act,  these  rest- 
less spirits  amused  themselves  with  picking  a  quarrel  with 
Mr.  Holden,  who  played  Sir  Jolin  Lambert.  After  some 
moments  of  commotion  peace  was  restored,  the  debutant 
made  his  entrance,  and  was  received  with  a  boisterous  wel- 
come. Such  a  Mawivorm  was  never  before  seen  !  He  had 
so  disguised  himself  that  his  identity  was  not  discovered  until 
he  began  speaking.  Then  his  voice  was  recognized,  and  he 
was  saluted  with  shouts  of  "Ned  Ouarles  !  "  and  other  evi- 
dences uf  his  penetrated  disguise.  The  poor  fellow  was 
so  frightened  that  he  forgot  almost  every  word  of  his 
part,  and  was  able  only  by  the  assistance  of  the  prompter 
to  keep  up  the  dialogue.  By  dint  of  great  exertion  the 
play  was  conducted  until  the  famous  pulpit  scene  was 
reached,  and  then  Mawivorm  had  arrived  at  the  climax  of  his 
labors.  A  sermon,  not  laid  down  in  the  book,  had  been  writ- 
ten for  him,  which  was  so  ludicrously  absurd  that  it  filled  the 
house  with  the  most  uproarious  laughter.  Ouarles  had  recov- 
ered from  his  embarrassment,  and  delivered  the  sermon  with 
excellent  emphasis  and  exceeding  energy.  It  was  a  carica- 
ture  of  the  productions  of  an   itinerant  sensationalist,  who 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  2  3, 

was  then  preaching  in  the  town,  and  the  satire  was  so  palpa- 
ble, and  withal  so  forcibly  delivered,  that  the  audience  were 
in  ecstacies.  Ouarles  was  called  out  for  a  speech,  and  a 
speech  he  made,  thanking  his  friends  for  their  favorable  recep- 
tion of  his  efforts,  condemning  the  disgraceful  disturbance 
that  had  occurred  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  and,  in 
conclusion,  saying  that  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage  should 
also  be  his  last. 

A  year  or  two  after  his  histrionic  display  he  fell  into  the 
Cove,  and  was  drowned. 

Near  this  time  Charles  Edward  Ball,  a  young  Englishman, 
made  his  entrance  upon  the  stage,  winning  so  much  applause 
that  it  was  said  that  he  must  have  previously  played  in  his  own 
country.  He  denied  the  allegation  with  much  warmth.  He 
was  well  proportioned,  had  a  full-toned  voice,  and  a  clear, 
florid  complexion.  He  was  a  thorough  Briton,  withal  gentle 
and  manly  in  his  deportment,  and  soon  became  a  pet  of  the 
young  girls  frequenting  the  theatre,  who  caused  him  to  be 
presented  with  a  dress  for  Romeo. 

On  some  convivial  occasion,  Ball,  in  the  confidence  of  pri- 
vate friendship,  expressed  an  opinion  that  the  British  stage 
was  superior  to  the  American.  This  remark  was  carried  to 
the  ears  of  a  number  of  young  men  who  were  at  that  time 
conspicuous  in  their  unruly  behavior  at  the  theatre,  and  had 
already  caused  more  than  one  disturbance  in  their  efforts  to 
dictate  to  the  performers.  They  at  once  decided  that,  as 
Kean  had  been  expelled  from  Boston  for  disrespect  to 
America,  a  like  example  should  be  made  of  Ball.  It  was  be- 
lieved that  some  offence  had  been  occasioned  by  the  partiality 
of  the  givers  of  the  Romeo  dress  ;  but  the  ostensible  cause  oi 
hostility  was  the  alleged  insult  to  the  country.  This  band  of 
patriots  packed  the  house  for  several  evenings,  and,  by  offen- 
sive sounds  and  threats,  prevented  Mr.  Ball  from  being  heard, 
until  finally  the  manager  announced  that  the  offending  actor  had 
withdrawn  from  the  company.  Before  he  left  town  he  took 
occasion  to  give  a  whipping  to  two  or  three  of  those  who  had 
been  most  active  in  their  hostile  demonstrations  towards  him- 
self, and  the  next  season  he  reappeared  here  without  interrup- 
tion of  any  kind.  He  subsequently  played  an  engagement  in 
New  York  and  then  returned  to  England. 


I  24  HISTORY  OF  THE 

A  number  of  other  appearances  of  ambitious  youths  might 
be  chronicled  ;  but,  as  those  whose  names  have  already  been 
given  attracted  the  most  attention,  only  their  attempts  have 
been  particularly  noticed. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1827,  two  men,  named  respectively 
Perkins  and  Cowles, 'came  from  Hartford  and  played  Old 
Snacks  and  Robin  RongJiJiead,  in  the  farce  of  "  Fortune's 
Frolics."  They  were  successful,  and,  after  paying  the  man- 
ager the  sum  previously  agreed  upon,  they  returned  to  their 
homes. 

It  will  be  perceived  how  unruly  a  portion  of  the  audience 
had  become  after  Mr.  Kilner  had  relinquished  the  manage- 
ment. Their  violent  conduct  contributed  to  banish  the  more 
fastidious  friends  of  the  theatre,  and  hastened  its  decline. 
No  principle  appeared  to  guide  the  originators  of  the  disturb- 
ances, other  than  a  love  of  mischief,  and  they  were  not  un- 
willing to  improve  an  opportunity  for  making  their  influence 
felt.  It  was  seldom  that  any  other  results  attended  their 
actions  than  the  annoyance  of  the  more  respectable  portion 
of  the  spectators  ;  but  once  at  least  they  wrought  an  irrepar- 
able injury  to  one  of  the  actors,  a  Mr.  Waldegrave,  who  had 
some  years  previously  been  a  member  of  the  Drury  Lane 
company.  He  was  inclined,  when  in  his  cups,  to  boast  of 
having  played  I  ago  to  the  OtJiello  of  John  Philip  Kemble,  and 
of  the  general  superiority  of  British  institutions.  It  was  re- 
ported that  while  partaking  of  a  lunch  at  a  well-known  res- 
taurant, he  had  said  there  was  not  an  actor  of  native  birth 
in  the  Union  capable  of  sustaining  the  characters  in  which 
Kemble  had  shone.  Information  of  this  injudicious  remark 
had  been  widely  circulated,  and,  in  consequence,  it  had  been 
determined  that  the  Providence  theatre  should  be  purged  of 
such  a  public  enemy. 

In  the  course  of  a  day  or  two,  Waldegrave  was  obliged  to 
undertake  an  important  part  (perhaps  that  of  Dr.  Cantzvell  on 
the  night  of  Ouarles's  debut)  at  very  short  notice.  As  soon 
as  he  entered  upon  the  scene  he  was  saluted  with  vollies  of 
hisses,  cat-calls,  groans  and  other  outcries.  The  stage  man- 
ager presented  himself  to  inquire  the  cause  of  such  an  un- 
merited reception.  A  voice  from  the  pit  in  response,  said 
that  an  apology  was  demanded  of  Waldegrave  for  insults  of- 
fered by  him  to  the  country.  The  poor  actor  replied  that  he 
was  innocent  of  such  an  offence,  and  therefore  could  make  no 
apology.     His  refusal   was   accepted  as  a  defiance,  and  the 


PROVIDENCE  STAGE.  I  25 

demonstrations  of  resentment  became  tumultuous.  Again 
the  stage  manager  appeared  and  asked  if  the  play  should  pro- 
ceed, at  the  same  time  stating  that  if  Waldegrave  should  be 
withdrawn,  no  substitute  could  be  procured  that  evening. 
There  were  now  heard  cries  of  "yes  !  "  and  "  no  !  "  the  former 
preponderating.  When  it  was  decided  to  go  on  at  all  haz- 
ards, a  gentleman  in  the  boxes  pledged  himself  that  the  inter- 
ruptions should  cease,  adding  that  they  were  disgraceful  to 
the  community.  When  Waldegrave  made  his  next  entrance 
the  hisses  began  anew,  but,  upon  one  of  the  ladies  making  an 
appeal  for  her  own  sake  to  the  gallantry  of  the  spectators, 
permission  was  given  him  to  finish  the  performance  on  condi- 
tion that  he  should  make  an  explanation  at  the  end  of  the 
play.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  comedy  he  attempted  to  make 
the  promised  explanation,  but  was  met  with  jibes  and  jeers.  At 
length  he  was  allowed  to  say  that  he  was  wrongfully  accused, 
that  he  knew  not  what  to  say  beyond  this — that  he  was  guilt- 
less of  any  intentional  insult  to  America ;  but,  as  he  had  be- 
come so  unpopular,  he  should  resign  his  situation,  and  go 
with  his  children  into  beggary,  to  which  the  loss  of  his  occu- 
pation would  consign  him. 

He  remained  several  months  in  Providence,  deriving  a  pre- 
carious livelihood  from  menial  labor,  until  a  benevolent  gen- 
tleman supplied  him  with  funds  to  remove  to  New  York, 
where  he  lingered  till  1837,  dying  a  broken-hearted  pauper. 
His  son,  a  boy  about  twelve  years  old,  obtained  employment 
in  a  newspaper  office ;  in  time  became  foreman  in  one  of  the 
departments  of  the  United  States  Telegraph  (newspaper), 
and  finally  removed  to  London,  where  he  was  engaged  by  the 
London  Times  company.  The  daughter  was  taken  under 
the  protection  of  a  gentleman  of  Boston,  and  became  an  or- 
nament to  society. 

The  rioters  did  not  always  succeed  in  coercing  the  managers 
to  submit  to  their  caprices.  An  actor  of  the  name  of  Spear 
took  umbrage  at  being  left  out  of  the  "  cast "  of  a  popular  play  ; 
and,  enlisting  in  his  favor  by  intrigue  the  sympathies  <>(  the 
cabal,  endeavored  by  their  aid  to  compel  the  manager  to  re- 
instate him,  with  however  no  other  result  than  to  ensure  his 
own  prompt  dismissal. 

An  attempt  by  the  same  restless  spirits  to  drive  Henry 
J.  Finn  from  the  Providence  theatre,  also  met  with  a  signal 
failure. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

1836-1844. 

The  Lion  Theatre— Sketch  of  E.  L.  Davenport— The  Washington 
Amateur  Theatre— The  Dorkance  Street  Theatre  Begun— 
Memorials  Against  Theatres  Presented  to  the  Board  of  Al- 
dermen— Description  of  the  New  Theatre— The  Opening  Per- 
formance—The Prologue— The  Orchestra— The  Company— Mrs. 
Maeder's  Benefit— III  Success  of  the  Second  Season— Gretna 
Green— J.  A.  Littlefield— J.  F.  Adams— Anecdotes  of  Booth- 
Debut  of  Edward  Shales— William  H.  Russell  Becomes  the 
Lessee— Fanny  Ellsler— Unsuccessful  Attempts  at  Manage- 
ment—E.  F.  Keach— A  Local  Drama— The  Theatre  Burned— An 
Incident  of  the  Fire— The  Theatre  Unprofitable— The  Enmity 
of  the  Second  Baptist  Society— Elder  Knapp— The  Misfor- 
tunes of  the  Actors. 

PROVIDENCE  now  remained  several  years  without  a 
theatre,  though  not  wholly  destitute  of  theatrical  enter- 
tainments. At  various  times  performances  were  given 
by  travelling  companies  in  the  armories  on  Benefit  street, 
just  south  of  College  street.  At  length  the  Lion  Theatre 
was  opened.  This  was  a  brick  building,  situated  on  Fulton 
street.  It  had  been  built  for  a  circus  in  the  rear  of  the 
Washington  Garden,  and  then  had  two  entrances ;  one  on 
North  Union  street,  and  the  other  through  the  Garden  to 
Westminster  street.  For  a  number  of  years  it  had  been  used 
for  performances  in  equitation,  and  for  a  while  had  offered  to 
the  public  sufficient  attractions  to  be  a  formidable  rival  of  the 
theatre.  At  length  its  popularity  declined,  and  it  had  long 
remained  untenanted. 

It  was  opened  on  the  ioth  of  May,  1836,  by  Messrs.  Houpt 
and  Barrett,  with  a  theatrical  company,  the  stage  manager 
being  Mr.  Ingersol.  The  initial  performance  consisted  of 
"  The  Wandering  Boys  "  and  "  The  Young  Widow."  A  pro- 
logue, written  for  the  occasion,  was   spoken  by  Mrs.  Houpt. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  12J 

The  company  played  till  the  12th  of  July,  with  the  exception 
of  ten  clays,  when  they  visited  Newport.  The  stars  were 
Booth,  and  J.  Reeve,  who  were  so  attractive  that  it  was  be- 
lieved that  the  time  had  come  when  Providence  could  sustain 
a  good  theatre.  It  was  in  this  place  that  Edward  L.  Daven- 
port made  his  first  appearance  on  any  stage,  performing 
Willdo  in  a  "  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts,"  to  the  Sir  Giles 
Overreach  of  the  elder  Booth.  This  theatre  was  burned  by 
an   incendiary,  Sept.  12th,  1836,  it  being  then  unoccupied. 

Edward  L.  Davenport  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  18 16, 
and  died  in  Pennsylvania  in  1877,  an  American  actor.  He 
made  rapid  progress  after  his  first  appearance  here,  and  was 
soon  recognized  as  a  leading  artist  in  tragedy,  comedy,  and 
melodrama.  He  supported  Anna  Cora  Mowatt  Ritchie  in  a 
wide  range  of  characters,  both  in  this  country  and  in  Eng- 
land, and  played  with  Macready  and  other  stars.  While  in 
England  he  married  Mrs.  Vining,  herself  an  actress,  of  a  fam- 
ily of  actors.  Returning  about  i860,  he  travelled  over  the 
United  States,  playing  in  the  principal  cities,  chiefly  in  Shakes- 
pearian characters  and  those  drawn  from  Dickens's  novels. 
Among  his  latest  conspicuous  representations  weir  such 
widely  diversified  characters  as  Brutus  in  "Julius  Cassar," 
and  Bill  Sykes  in  "Oliver  Twist."  He  was  highly  esteemed 
for  his  genial  and  open-hearted  manners.  Boyle  Bernard 
wrote  of  him  in  1852,  as  follows  : 

"  If  Mr.  Forrest  and  Mr.  H.ackett  have  been  recognized  as  the  tragedian 
and  comedian  of  America,  Mr.  Davenport  stands  between  them,  partaking 
the  powers  of  both,  if  not  to  the  extent  of  either.  He  is  the  tragicomic 
genius,  which  holds  the  6ame  place  on  the  stage  that  the  romantic  play 
does  in  the  drama — that  mixture  of  humor  and  passion  which  has  always 
been  a  compound  most  agreeable  to  English  feelings.  That  most  plastic 
class  of  faculty  which  makes  some  sacrifice  of  depth  in  order  to  increase 
its  range  of  surface,  and  which  passes  with  equal  truth  from  a  Benedick  to 
a  Romeo,  and  Jaffier  to  a  Faulcotibridgc,  has  been  illustrated  in  our  time 
by  the  genius  of  Charles  Kemble,  and  will  soon  have  no  exponent  so  ac- 
complished as  Mr.  Davenport.  Thus  we  see  his  great  distinction— an  ex- 
traordinary versatility,  in  which  he  has  no  rival,  with  the  sole  exception 
of  James  Wallack,  and  for  which  his  physical  endowments  are  quite  com- 
mensurate with  his  mental.  Nature  has  been  most  liberal  in  her  outfit  <.i 
this  gentleman,  and  his  taste  and  artistic  feeling  show  his  sense  ol  tin 
ligation.  He  has  an  open,  well-marked  countenance,  expressive  eyes  ami 
pliant  brow,  a  voice  that  is  clear  and  flexible,  and  a  well-formed,  man ly 
person." 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE 

In  the  spring  of  1837,  a  small  company  of  actors  were  play- 
ing in  Masonic  Hall,  in  the  upper  story  of  the  Market  House, 
but  with  such  unsatisfactory  pecuniary  results  that  they  were 
soon  obliged  to  relinquish  their  undertaking.  A  short  time 
before  this  disruption  a  number  of  amateurs  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Jonathan  M.  Wheeler,  G.  N.  Warren  and  G.  W.  Rob- 
inson obtained  a  license  for  dramatic  performances  in  Wash- 
ington Hall,  near  the  junction  of  Westminster  and  Weybos- 
set  streets,  and,  having  fitted  up  a  stage,  kept  open  for  two  or 
three  months  "The  Washington  Amateur  Theatre,"  with 
some  profit  to  themselves  and  pleasure  to  their  patrons. 
From  the  outset  the  female  performers  of  this  company  had 
been  actresses  of  some  professional  experience ;  but  the  at- 
tractiveness of  the  exhibitions  was  much  enhanced  by  the 
accession  of  the  ladies  and  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  had 
been  playing  at  Masonic  Hall.  A  range  of  boxes  was  then 
built,  for  admission  to  which  the  charge  was  fifty  cents,  while 
that  to  the  other  parts  of  the  house  remained  as  before,  at 
twenty-five  cents.  The  audiences  became  larger  and  the  re- 
ceipts showed  a  corresponding  increase.  At  this  time  some 
persons  made  representations  to  the  mayor  that  the  perform- 
ances were  not  given  by  amateurs,  but  by  real  actors,  and  con- 
sequently that  the  license  was  forfeited.  An  investigation 
was  at  once  set  afoot ;  the  objection  was  decided  to  have  been 
well  taken,  and  the  license  was  revoked.  John  B.  Gough,  the 
well-known  temperance  lecturer,  then  a  journeyman  book- 
binder, was  the  principal  comedian  of  the  "  Washington 
Amateur  Theatre." 

Another  long  time  passed,  and  Providence  had  no 
theatre,  although  the  need  of  one  was  seriously  felt.  Accord- 
ingly, a  number  of  public-spirited  gentlemen  decided  to  erect  on 
the  east  side  of  Dorrance  street,  between  Pine  and  Friendship 
streets,  one  that  should  be  a  credit  to  the  city  for  its  appear- 
ance and  capacity.  They  appointed  a  building  committee, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  James  G.  Anthony,  John  Gould,  John 
A.  Littlefield,  John  W.  Richmond,  and  Ezra  Dodge,  who 
selected  Mr.  James  Bucklin  as  the  architect,  under  whose 
direction  the  work  was  begun  on  the  28th  of  May,  1838. 

This  enterprise  from  its  inception  was  exposed  to  the  siings 
and  arrows  of  enemies.  As  soon  as  the  ground  was  broken 
by  the  workmen,  Mr.  Samuel  Wheeler,  a  very  well    meaning 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  29 

citizen,  conceived  the  plan  of  committing  the  city  authorities 
to  hostility  towards  the  projected  theatre  ;  and,  with  this 
design,  he  zealously  labored  in  procuring  signatures  to  a 
memorial,  in  which  the  Board  of  Aldermen  were  prayed  "  to 
take  such  immediate  action  in  relation  to  the  erection  of  a 
new  theatre,  as  would  indicate  a  determination  to  refuse  all 
licenses  for  such  purposes."  This  memorial  was  presented 
on  the  1 8th  of  June,  and  the  consideration  of  the  subject  was 
then  postponed  one  week.  On  the  25th  of  the  same  month, 
the  board  again  assembled,  and  found  that  during  the  inter- 
vening time  many  additional  signatures  had  been  obtained  to 
Mr.  Wheeler's  document,  swelling  the  whole  number  to  about 
six  hundred.  The  Second  Baptist  Society,  whose  house  was 
directly  opposite  the  site  chosen  for  the  theatre,  also  presented 
a  memorial,  representing  in  substance,  that  they  had  erected  a 
house  of  worship  in  a  retired  and  peaceful  situation,  in  which 
they  had  hoped  to  hold  their  meetings  undisturbed,  but  that  the 
theatre  would  prevent  their  doing  so,  and  impair  their  rights 
as  a  Christian  society  ;  and  also  setting  forth  that  theatrical 
amusements  are  opposed  to  the  true  interests  of  the  com- 
munity at  large.  After  a  discussion  of  the  subject,  the 
board  passed  a  resolution  "  that,  however  much  the  members 
may  regret  that  a  building  for  theatrical  performances  is  now 
erecting,  they  consider  it  premature  and  inconsistent  with 
former  usages  to  give  their  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of 
granting  licenses  to  theatres  or  anything  else,  until  a  request 
for  the  same  is  made  by  persons  interested." 

The  work  upon  the  new  theatre  now  advanced  with  rapid- 
ity, and  competent  managers  were  desirous  of  obtaining  a 
lease  as  soon  as  it  should  be  completed,  provided  a  license 
could  be  procured.  On  the  22d  of  October,  a  petition  was 
presented  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen  from  Mr.  James  G. 
Maeder,  the  eminent  musician,  representing  that  he  and 
others  had  become  lessees  of  the  new  building  called  ''  Shaks- 
peare  Hall,"  on  Dorrance  street,  for  the  purpose  of  theatrical 
representations ;  that  he  had  engaged  a  stock  company 
respectable  in  talent  and  character,  who  were  well  aware 
that  they  could  not  hope  to  be  sustained  by  the  public,  unless 
they  should  maintain  a  reputation  for  professional  and  pri- 
vate good  character  ;  and  that  he  intended  to  enforce  such 
regulations  as  would  conduce  to  good  order,  especially  £01 
9 


I3O  HISTORY     OF    THE 

bidding  the  sale  of  wines  and  strong  liquors  upon  the  prem- 
ises, and  excluding  all  persons  of  notoriously  bad  character  ; 
and  asking  a  license  for  one  year.  After  a  full  hearing  of  the 
parties  interested,  the  license  was  granted  on  the  conditions 
named  in  the  petition,  subject  to  such  regulations  as  the 
board  might  thereafter  deem  expedient.  One  hundred 
dollars  for  the  use  of  the  city,  and  ten  dollars  for  the  state, 
constituted  the  fee  exacted.  It  was  stipulated  that  perform- 
ances should  not  be  given  either  on  Saturday  or  Sunday 
evenings,  and  that  they  should  always  be  terminated  before 
twelve  o'clock  at  night.  The  sheriff  of  the  county  and  two 
police  constables  were  appointed  to  attend  at  "  Shakspeare 
Hall  "  to  keep  order,  at  the  expense  of  the  manager. 

The  theatre  was  a  stone  edifice,  one  hundred  and  ten  feet 
in  length,  by  sixty-five  in  width  ;  and  its  stage  was  a  little 
more  than  fifty  feet  deep.  The  exterior  was  plastered  and 
pointed  in  imitation  of  granite,  and  had  pilasters  in  front  and 
a  granite  basement.  The  principal  external  decoration  was  a 
medallion  bust  of  Shakspeare.  The  interior  was  beautifully 
decorated  by  accomplished  artists  ;  the  ceiling  representing 
a  dome  with  a  sun  in  the  centre,  surrounded  by  the  signs  of 
the  zodiac  in  gold.  This  was  the  work  of  Mr.  Heister,  then 
eighteen  years  of  age,  who  has  since  had  the  reputation  of 
being  the  ablest  scenic  artist  in  America.  The  fronts  of  the 
boxes  were  exquisitely  painted  in  panels.  The  auditorium 
contained,  besides  a  pit,  two  tiers  of  boxes  and  a  gallery  of 
semi-circular  form,  and  could  seat  about  thirteen  hundred 
spectators."  The  act-drop  represented  a  moonlight  view  of 
the  Capitol  at  Washington.  The  entire  cost  of  the  theatre 
was  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

The  inauguratory  performance  took  place  Oct.  29,  1838, 
and  consisted  of  "  The  Soldier's  Daughter,"  and  "A  Pleasant 
Neighbor."  An  elegant  prologue,  written  by  Mrs.  Sarah  H. 
Whitman,  was  recited  by  Mrs.  Maeder.  The  following  lines 
heralding  the  advent  of  the  drama,  were  enthusiastically  re- 
ceived : 

"  And  now  she  comes  with  all  her  shadowy  train, 
To  hold  her  court  within  this  gorgeous  fane — 
Here  her  bright  banner  fearlessly  unfurls, 
And  scorns  the  pointless  shaft  the  bigot  hurls — 
Pure  are  her  means,  her  high  intents  sublime, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I3I 

To  cherish  virtue  and  deter  from  crime, 
With  loftiest  theme  to  rouse  the  languid  heart, 
And  stern  reproof  with  subtle  grace  impart; 
To  wake  the  noble  love  of  well-earned  fame, 
And  teach  the  glory  of  a  deathless  name. 
She  shows  how  heroes  lived  and  martyrs  died, 
And  fills  the  exulting  breast  with  god-like  pride, 
That  such  high  energies  to  man  are  given 
To  conquer  earth,  and  ope  the  gate  of  Heaven." 

The  managers  were  James  G.  Maeder  and  Thomas  Flynn  ; 
the  leader  of  the  orchestra  was  at  first  a  Mr.  Woods,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Clemens,  and  under  him  were  two  violins, 
two  clarionets,  two  horns,  a  trumpet,  a  trombone,  and  a  double 
bass  ;  forming  the  largest  and  best  drilled  orchestral  band 
that  had  ever  been  heard  in  Providence.  Whenever  operas 
or  other  musical  pieces  were  performed,  Mr.  Maeder  played 
the  piano-forte  in  the  orchestra. 

The  prices  of  admission  were  one  dollar  to  the  boxes,  fifty 
cents  to  the  pit,  and  twenty-five  cents  to  the  gallery. 

The  company  contained  Messrs.  Gates,  comedian,  Nicker- 
son,  Flynn,  Fenno,  McDonald,  McCutcheon,  Merryfield,  and 
Edwin,  also  Mesdames  Maeder,  Rider,  Fletcher,  Mathews, 
and  others,  constituting  a  combination  better  suited  for  the 
lighter  drama  than  for  tragedy  or  standard  comedy. 

Several  injudicious  regulations  adopted  by  the  management 
were  offensive  to  the  public,  and  resulted  in  a  decrease  of  pa- 
tronage soon  after  the  opening,  as  well  as  a  disagreement  with 
the  newspapers.  One  regulation,  common  enough  in  other 
cities,  was  novel  here,  and  occasioned  no  little  displeasure  on 
the  part  of  the  visitors  to  the  house.  By  this  rule  the  front 
seats  of  the  boxes  were  reserved  for  such  persons  as  should 
engage  a  whole  row.  It  appearing  that  the  public  dissatis- 
faction was  in  a  great  measure  caused  by  the  mismanagement 
of  Mr.  Flynn,  that  gentleman  dissolved  his  partnership  with 
Mr.  Maeder,  and  moved  away.  Mr.  Maeder  at  once  made 
vigorous  exertions  to  win  the  popular  favor,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  excellence  in  all  the 
performances.  The  stars  of  the  season  were  Miss  Shirrefl 
and  Mr.  Wilson,  in  English  opera,  and  the  tragedian  llam- 
blin,  whose  engagement  was  a  great  success. 

On  the  7th  of  January  occurred  the  benefit  of  Mrs.    Mae 
•der,  formerly  the  celebrated  Clara  Fisher,   when   the  house 


132  HISTORY    OF    THE 

was  densely  packed  by  a  brilliant  assemblage.  The  bene- 
ficiary, besides  the  large  sum  of  money  resulting  from  the 
tickets,  received  as  a  gift  from  her  numerous  admirers,  a  gold 
chain  with  a  medallion,  and  an  emerald  ring.  A  few  days 
previously,  she  had  presented  to  the  stockholders  for  the 
adornment  of  the  box  lobby  a  bust  of  Shakspeare,  and  a  rep- 
resentation of  Shakspeare's  house,  modelled  by  her  father. 

Mrs.  Shaw  shortly  after  this  event  fulfilled  a  star  engage- 
ment, drawing  remunerative  audiences  ;  and,  when  the  sea- 
son closed  on  the  6th  of  February,  1839,  ^  was  found  that 
after  paying  all  the  expenses,  a  small  profit  had  accrued  to 
the  manager. 

Mr.  Maeder  began  a  second  season  in  April,  and  closed  on 
the  24th  of  July.  Although  he  produced  actors  of  celebrity, 
such  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sloman,  Ellen  Tree,  Mile.  Augusta, 
Miss  Clifton,  H.  J.  Finn,  and  M.  and  Mme.  Taglioni,  his  re- 
ceipts seldom  equalled  the  disbursements  ;  and,  as  he  became 
involved  in  debt,  he  concluded  not  to  obtain  a  renewal  of  his 
license.  A  complimentary  benefit  was  tendered  to  him  by 
the  stockholders,  after  which  he  removed  to  New  York.  Xo 
incident  worthy  of  note  occurred  during  the  period  in  which 
he  held  the  managerial  baton,  except,  perhaps,  a  certain  coin- 
cidence trivial  In  its  nature,  but  which  at  the  time  occasioned 
some  little  amusement — we  allude  to  the  fact  that  on  the 
10th  of  June  the  farce  of  "  Gretna  Green  "  was  performed, 
and  the  character  of  Jenkins  was  sustained  by  Mr.  Fenno, 
who  a  few  hours  before  had  actually  made  a  runaway  mar- 
riage of  his  own. 

Mr.  John  A.  Littlefield  attempted  in  September  to  keep 
the  theatre  open,  but  after  a  few  weeks'  profitless  experience, 
found  himself  compelled  to  abandon  his  design.  His  succes- 
sor was  J.  F.  Adams,  who,  with  a  poor  company,  gave  support 
to  a  succession  of  stars,  viz  :  Forrest,  Ranger,  Mrs.  Fitzwil- 
liam,  Charles  Kean,  J.  Wallack,  Booth,  Dan.  Marble,  H  ack- 
ett,  and  the  elder  Vandenhoff  with  ffts  daughter.  He  brought 
his  season  to  a  termination  early  in  June,  1840.  The  business 
of  the  stage  had  been  ably  conducted  by  W.  H.  Smith,  who 
made  every  effort  to  conceal  the  deficiencies  of  the  "  stock ;  " 
but  several  times  when  a  "full "  piece  was  to  be  produced,  or 
some  star  more  exacting  than  ordinary  was  to  be  supported, 
temporary  engagements  were  made  with  actors  from  other 
cities. 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  I  33 

Attended  by  such  satellites,  stars  came  and  shone  ;  but 
Booth  blazed  with  dazzling  glory,  fully  sustaining  the  reputa- 
tion he  had  long  before  achieved.  His  advent  had  been  anx- 
iously awaited,  and  his  appearance  crammed  the  theatre  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  He  more  than  satisfied  every  expecta- 
tion, playing  with  wonderful  power,  and  nightly  winning 
round  upon  round  of  applause  from  the  enthusiastic  specta- 
tors. Despite  his  low  stature  and  certain  other  physical  draw- 
backs, his  genius  supplied  altitude,  and  gave  him  absolute 
power  over  those  whom  he  willed  to  subdue.  Be  the  audience 
ever  so  apathetic  in  the  earlier  scenes  of  a  tragedy,  let  Booth 
present  himself  and  utter  a  word,  and,  quick  as#the  light- 
ning's flash,  the  spectators  roused  themselves  and  thundered 
their  welcome.  In  every  scene  he  reigned  absolute  master, 
actors  and  audiences  quailing  before  his  fiery  glances,  and 
breathless  with  terror  when  he  gave  unrestrained  flow  to  the 
multitudinous  passions  that  swelled  the  breast  of  royal 
Richard  in  his  death  struggle.  With  a  whisper  he  could  chill 
the  blood,  with  a  glance  he  could  extort  obeisance,  with  a 
gesture  he  drew  tears.  His  acting  may  be  analyzed,  his  in- 
tonation may  be  imitated,  his  appearance  may  be  described, 
but  the  magnetism  of  his  manner  is  indescribable — it  is  in- 
comprehensible. 

This  great  actor  was  a  singular  compound  of  eccentrici- 
ties, absurdities,  virtues,  and  talents — his  own  enemy — yet 
the  friend  of  humanity,  and  as  tender  of  animal  life  as  the 
fastidious  Brahmin.  Delighting  in  the  glare  of  the  play- 
house, he  yet  cherished  a  fondness  for  a  pastoral  life.  Well 
read  in  professional  lore,  and  conversant  with  the  most  ele- 
gant poetry,  he  chose  for  his  companions  the  dissipated,  the 
worthless,  and  the  uneducated.  Devoted  to  self-indulgence, 
he  still  revered  the  rules  of  godly  living,  and  would  at  any- 
time forsake  his  revelries  to  read  to  appreciative  listeners 
chapter  after  chapter  from  the  Bible.  Himself  without  any 
profession  of  religion,  ha  reverenced  piety  in  others,  and  was 
indifferent  to  the  form  of  worship,  if  only  true  devotion  was 
apparent. 

It  has  been  disputed  whether  Booth  was  subject  to  fits  of 
insanity  or  not,  and  some  of  his  freaks  would  seem  to  give 
tokens  of  a  disordered  intellect,  while  others  evinced  too 
much  method  to  justify  such  a  conclusion.      During  this  en- 


134  HISTORY    OF    THE 

gagement  he  lodged  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  his  strange  de- 
meanor was  a  constant  source  of  amazement  to  the  proprietor 
and  to  the  guests.  One  night  he  did  not  make  his  appear- 
ance at  the  theatre  in  season  to  begin  the  performance,  and 
Mr.  Adams,  the  manager,  guided  by  one  of  the  clerks  of  the 
hotel,  went  to  his  room  and  found  it  locked.  To  their  calls 
and  knocks  there  was  no  response,  but  as  it  was  possible  that 
he  had  fallen  asleep,  the  clerk  climbed  upon  the  roof  of  an 
adjoining  piazza,  and  peered  through  the  window.  The 
room  was  apparently  empty.  Then  the  corridors  and  offices 
were  visited  without  success,  and  the  manager  was  about  to 
go  away  in  disappointment,  when  the  clerk,  to  make  assur- 
ance doubly  sure,  again  scaled  the  piazza,  entered  the  window 
and  looked  under  the  bed.  There  lay  the  missing  tragedian,, 
calm  and  sober,  quietly  meeting  the  gaze  of  the  intruder  with 
his  own.  He  at  once  consented  to  proceed  to  the  theatre, 
and,  after  a  few  preparations,  followed  the  manager,  who,  re- 
lying on  his  promise,  had  hastened  back  to  his  post.  The 
clerk,  unperceived,  followed  Booth,  and  saw  him  in  his  pro- 
gress by  the  route  he  had  often  before  walked,  accost  every 
person  he  met,  and  asked  to  be  directed  to  the  Providence 
theatre.  When  he  reached  his  dressing-room  he  lost  no  time,, 
but  was  soon  upon  the  stage,  hailed  with  rapturous  delight  by 
the  audience,  whose  patience  he  had  so  severely  tried. 

Instances  of  a  similar  nature  might  be  multiplied,  but  two' 
or  three  will  suffice.  One  evening  when  he  was  to  play  I  ago, 
he  was  missing  at  the  hour  when  the  play  was  to  begin.  The 
audience  was  unusually  large,  and  the  manager  being  unwill- 
ing to  change  the  programme,  and  thereby  incur  the  risk  of 
many  persons  demanding  the  repayment  of  the  entrance 
money,  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  playing  the  farce  as  a 
first  piece,  and  in  the  meantime  searching  for  Booth.  By 
good  fortune  a  gentleman  was  seated  in  the  boxes  who  was  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  great  actor,  and  knew  all  his  haunts. 
The  straits  of  the  manager  having  been  made  known  to  him, 
he  procured  a  carriage,  and  proceeded  to  Morris  Deming's 
sailor  boarding-house.  There  the  tragedian  was  found,  a  lit- 
tle the  worse  for  his  potations,  and  carousing  with  his  host, 
whom  he  designated  "  a  learned  Theban — a  sage  philoso- 
pher."    He  was   immediately  taken  to  the  theatre,  his  dress 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  I  35 

was   speedily  changed,  and  he  not  only  acted  his  part,  but 
played  it  superbly. 

At  another  time  he  evaded  the  watchful  eyes  of  his  friends, 
and,  after  an  ineffectual  search  in  the  various  bar-rooms  of  the 
city,  was  at  length  discovered  sitting  on  Peck's  wharf,  with  a 
parcel  of  crackers,  from  which  he  was  feeding  a  number  of 
hogs  which  he  had  collected  together  in  that  neighborhood, 
where  they  then  roamed  at  large. 

During  an  engagement  at  this  theatre,  or  at  the  "  Lion," 
he  disappointed  the  audience,  and  was  found  late  in  the  even- 
ing, blindly  making  his  way  through  the  town  of  Johnston. 
When  he  was  overtaken  by  his  friends,  he  yielded  to  their 
wishes,  and  readily  returned  to  Providence  in  their  company. 

He  was  often  perfectly  sober  when  indulging  in  these  va- 
garies, and  his  acquaintances  differed  as  to  their  cause.  It 
can  not,  however,  be  concealed,  that  he  sometimes  did  indulge 
his  appetite  for  intoxicating  liquors  to  an  immoderate  extent, 
but  not  so  frequently  as  is  popularly  believed.  It  is  doubtful 
if  he  ever  was  so  completely  overcome  by  drink  as  to  be  inca- 
pacitated from  playing  a  familiar  character.  As  soon  as  he 
came  before  the  foot-lights  and  began  to  speak,  his  aspect 
changed,  and,  as  the  play  progressed,  he  regained  over  all  his 
faculties  sovereign  sway  and  masterdom.  He  abandoned  him- 
self so  entirely  to  the  passions  of  the  part  he  personated, 
that  he  produced  such  a  degree  of  mental  excitement  as 
would  neutralize  the  effects  of  other  stimulants. 

About  five  o'clock  one  afternoon,  when  the  play-bills  were 
advertising  that  he  was  to  play  Richard  the  Third  in  the 
evening,  he  had  drunk  in  some  bar-room  to  excess,  and  was 
lying  on  a  bench,  to  all  appearances  helplessly  intoxicated.  A 
college  student  chanced  to  see  him  in  this  besotted  condition, 
and  two  hours  later  attended  the  theatre  for  the  purpose  of 
witnessing  the  lamentable  failure  he  was  sure  would  occur ; 
but  he  was  delighted  and  amazed  to  behold  Booth  tread  the 
stage  with  firmness,  and  perform  that  masterpiece  of  acting 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  electrify  the  audience,  and  to  leave 
upon  his  own  mind  an  ineffaceable  expression. 

As  Booth  advanced  in  age  he  yielded  more  and  more  to  the 
cravings  of  his  appetite,  and  some  reliable  friend  was  in  con- 
stant attendance  to  protect  him  from  the  allurements  of  his 
boon  companions.     He  could,  however,  at  any  time,  be  tern- 


I36  HISTORY     OF     THE 

porarily  withdrawn  from  their  society  by  an  invitation  to  read 
the  Scriptures,  as  before  remarked  ;  and  those  who  had  been 
present  when  he  complied  with  the  request,  are  enthusiastic 
in  their  descriptions  of  the  impressiveness  of  his  delivery. 
There  was  a  religious  vein  in  his  nature  which  was  continu- 
ally showing  itself,  whether  he  was  sober  or  under  the  influ- 
ence of  his  potations.  One  morning  before  sunrise,  late  in 
the  autumn  of  1839,  two  gentlemen  started  for  Seekonk  to 
hunt  rabbits.  As  they  approached  India  Point  Bridge,  they 
observed  that  the  door  of  a  small  bar-room,  kept  in  that  vicin- 
ity by  one  Rawson,  stood  open  at  that  unusually  early  hour, 
and  they  entered  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  some  cigars. 
As  they  passed  in,  an  unexpected  sight  presented  itself. 
Before  a  picture  of  General  Washington  a  small  boy  was 
kneeling  with  hands  joined,  and  by  his  side  was  the  trage- 
dian, Booth,  engaged  in  teaching  the  boy  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
solemnly  dictating  each  separate  petition,  and  so  intent  upon 
his  occupation  that  he  did  not  observe  the  entrance  of  the 
spectators.  The  hunters  stood  awhile,  regarding  in  silence 
this  strange  display,  and,  after  having  made  their  purchase, 
continued  on  their  way,  leaving  the  actor,  then  haggard  as 
from  a  revel,  still  engaged  in  imparting  his  lesson  in  religion. 
How  Booth  chanced  to  be  so  occupied  and  in  such  a  remote 
place,  they  never  ascertained. 

Mr.  Nathan  Porter,  since  an  eminent  lawyer  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  was  a  member  of  the  company  this  year 
(1839).  He  was  very  successful  in  "Yankee"  characters, 
and  a  farce,  written  by  himself  to  display  to  the  best  advan- 
tage his  peculiar  talents,  was  frequently  performed.  For  his 
benefit,  March  12,  1840,  the  Boston  tragedian,  Edward 
Shales,  appeared  as  Gloster  in  the  fifth  act  of  "  Richard  III." 
This  Shales  was  a  desperately  stage-struck  amateur,  who, 
being  puffed  up  by  the  flattery  of  mischievous  acquaintances, 
believed  himself  thoroughly  qualified  for  the  highest  walks 
of  the  drama.  He  had  attempted  to  play  two  acts  of  the 
same  tragedy  on  the  1  ith  of  the  previous  June,  and  had  been 
pelted  from  the  stage  by  the  jeering  audience.  Undaunted 
by  his  failure,  he  was  resolute  in  his  determination  to  make 
a  second  trial  of  his  powers.  Mr.  Porter  therefore  procured 
his  services  for  the  benefit,  at  the  same  time  circulating  ac- 
counts of  the  dramatic  treat  which  he  intended  to  offer.     A 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  I  37 

good  house  was  in  attendance,  who  gave  the  debutant  a  fair 
chance  for  a  hearing ;  but  he  proved  to  be  so  utterly  incom- 
petent, that  they  employed  the  time  in  laughing  at  his  ridicu- 
lous failure. 

Shales  soon  afterwards  repeated  the  performance,  and  the 
audience  went  to  the  theatre,  anticipating  a  merry  time.  The 
actors  had  had  their  sport  with  him  before  that  of  the  specta- 
tors began,  and  had  amused  themselves  with  decking  him 
with  a  novel  apparel  for  the  great  part  he  was  to  play.  One 
foot  wore  a  boot,  the  other  was  dressed  in  a  sandal.  The 
remainder  of  his  attire  was  as  absurd  as  could  be  devised, 
embracing  the  costumes  of  widely  remote  periods,  each  por- 
tion as  incongruous  with  the  rest  as  possible.  As  soon  as  he 
presented  himself  to  the  view,  he  was  saluted  with  shouts  of 
laughter  from  the  house,  composed  wholly  of  males.  His 
efforts  to  speak  were  hailed  with  renewed  peals  of  laughter. 
Soon  missiles  began  to  fly.  Turnips,  apples,  eggs,  cabbages, 
and  other  articles  were  thrown  at  him,  littering  the  stage  on 
every  side.  The  uproar  reached  its  climax  when  a  man  in 
one  of  the  upper  tiers  was  seen  to  stand  up,  swing  a  cat  by 
the  tail  around  his  head  two  or  three  times,  and  then  let  it 
fly  through  the  air.  Straight  to  the  mark  went  the  cat  and 
lighted  on  the  back  of  Shales,  who,  though  a  little  staggered 
by  the  shock,  stood  his  ground  like  a  hero,  shook  off  the  ani- 
mal, and  waited  for  the  din  to  cease.  An  apple  fell  near 
him.  Picking  it  up,  he  coolly  ate  it  until  some  degree  of 
silence  was  restored,  when  he  attempted  the  part,  and  after 
some  further  interruptions,  he  was  permitted  to  finish  the  per- 
formance. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1841,  William  H.  Russell,  a  native  of 
Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  who  had  been  the  treasurer  of  Burton's 
National  theatre  in  New  York,  became  the  manager  of  the 
Providence  theatre,  and  kept  it  open  with  a  succession  of 
stars,  viz.  :  Mrs.  Maeder,  Ranger,  Burton  and  Hamblin,  until 
September  10th.  In  October  he  reopened  with  a  newly 
decorated  auditorium,  and  a  new  act-drop,  the  work  of  Mr. 
H.  Isherwood.  His  company  was  far  from  being  a  powerful 
one,  although  several  of  the  performers  were  not  destitute  oi 
merit.  These  were  George  Jamieson,  Fenno,  Mrs.  Russell, 
(formerly  Miss  J.  Shaw),  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kcmble,  ami  Miss  C. 
Shaw.     Mr.   and    Mrs.    Creswick  were  subsequently   added. 


138 


HISTORY     OF     THE 


The  principal  attractions  were  T.   D.   Rice,  Edwin  Forrest, 
Mrs.  Shaw,  and  the  spectacular  drama  of  "  The  Naiad  Queen." 

On  the  19th  of  November,  Fanny  Ellsler,  the  celebrated 
danseuse,  was  engaged  for  one  night  at  an  expense  of  six 
hundred  dollars.  Although  the  house  was  well  filled,  and  the 
prices  of  tickets  had  been  raised  to  meet  the  increased  expendi- 
ture, the  manager  lost  money  by  the  engagement ;  but  Miss 
Ellsler  the  next  morning  returned  him  one  hundred  dollars 
of  the  sum  she  had  received. 

The  season  was  brought  to  a  close  in  February,  1842,  Mr. 
Russell  having  become  involved  in  debt  by  the  undertaking,, 
although  the  stockholders,  who  had  adopted  the  plan  of  re- 
ceiving, in  lieu  of  a  definite  sum,  a  certain  percentage  of  the 
receipts  of  each  performance,  obtained  a  larger  rent  than  had 
ever  before  fallen  to  their  share,  and,  on  the  4th  of  March, 
advertised  a  dividend.1 

On  the  30th  of  May,  1842,  Messrs.  Jamieson  and  Isher- 
wood  obtained  the  lease  for  a  short  term,  but  were  soon  glad 
to  relinquish  it.  They  were  succeeded  in  February,  1843,  by 
Wyzeman  Marshall,  who,  soon  after  the  engagement  of  Booth 
and  Mrs.  Shaw,  closed  the  doors  for  lack  of  patronage. 

In  February,  1842,  the  celebrated  Doctor  Dionysius  Lard- 
ner  delivered  five  lectures  on  scientific  subjects,  in  the  theatre, 
to  appreciative  audiences.  In  September  Mrs.  Fitzwilliam 
and  Buckstone  gave  three  successful  performances  there  with 
a  small  company  brought  from  Boston,  and,  in  June,  1843. 
Jerome,  Gabriel,  and  Francois  Ravel,  with  ten  other  pantomi- 
mists,  performed  several  times.  The  theatre,  however,  was 
not  regularly  open  till  July  3,  1843,  when  the  principal  mem- 
bers of  the  National  company  came  from  Boston,  under  the 
management  of  W.  R.  Blake  and  G.  J.  Spear,  and  maintained 
a  series  of  dramatic  entertainments  for  five  or  six  weeks, 
during  which   time  Hamblin  reappeared  as  a  star,  and  the 

1  The  destruction  of  the  books  of  the  theatre  makes  it  impossible  to  present  a  statement 
of  the  financial  condition  of  the  management  for  any  period,  except  for  the  first  season  of 
Mr.  Russell's  lesseeship.  The  treasurer's  account  for  those  thirteen  weeks  is  yet  in  exist- 
ence,  and  from  that  we  ascertain  that  the  receipts  for  sixty-seven  performances  amounted 
to  $7, S49.5S,  averaging  $117.1;  each  night.  The  rent,  being  seven  and  a  half  per  cent., 
amounted  to  $588.23.  The  opening  night  brought  in  $164.  The  best  nights  were  June  21st,. 
on  the  occasion  of  Mrs.  Maeder's  benefit,  when  nine  hundred  and  sixty-four  persons  were 
present,  paying  for  their  admission  $296.75;  Julv  5th,  when  twelve  hundred  and  thirteen 
spectators  were  present,  paying  $424.25;  and  August  16th,  being  the  first  night  of  the 
Equestrian  drama  ot  "  Mazeppa,"  when  $364.25  were  taken.  The  smallest  house  was  that 
of  July  2d,  when  the  entire  audience  comprised  ninety-two  persons,  the  receipts  being 
1 22.75.    It  will  be  observed  that  the  house  was  seldom  more  than  one-fourth  filled. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  39 

managers  gave  a  benefit  performance  for  the  sufferers  by  the 
great  conflagration  in  Fall  River. 

Among  the  performers  in  this  troupe  was  Mr.  Edward 
Frank  Keach,  a  young  gentleman  who  had  several  years 
earlier  been  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits  in  Providence. 
He  had  fostered  such  a  decided  taste  for  the  drama,  that, 
after  a  preliminary  trial  of  his  abilities  in  Boston,  despite  the 
remonstrances  of  his  friends,  he  had  gone  to  Baltimore  and 
begun  the  arduous  career  of  an  actor.  There  he  met  with 
but  indifferent  success,  and  soon  returned  to  the  north,  play- 
ing on  the  25th  of  June,  1841,  one  night  in  this  city.  He 
soon  joined  the  National  company  in  Boston,  and,  after  along 
experience,  achieved  an  honorable  position  in  the  profession 
of  his  choice.  He  was  the  principal  actor  at  the  Boston 
Museum  for  several  years,  winning  general  admiration  by  his 
attention  to  duty,  his  grace,  and  his  talent.  In  i860  he  be- 
came the  manager  of  the  Museum,  and  his  peculiar  qualifica- 
cations  for  that  most  responsible  position  became  at  once 
apparent.  He  devoted  his  entire  energy  to  the  sole  purpose 
of  making  that  theatre  the  foremost  establishment  of  its  kind 
in  America ;  endeavoring  by  undeviating  attention  to  the 
minutest  details  of  the  multifarious  duties  of  a  manager,  to 
render  every  performance  an  elegant  and  rational  entertain- 
ment, and,  at  the  same  time,  indirectly  profitable  for  the 
instruction  of  the  audience.  In  the  selection  of  plays  he 
aimed  chiefly  at  effectiveness  of  incident  and  picturesqueness 
of  stage  appointments.  He  bestowed  much  attention  on  cor- 
rectness of  costume,  in  which  department  he  found  an  able 
coadjutor  in  Mr.  Thomas  Joyce  ;  and  he  insisted  on  the  literal 
delivery  of  the  text  of  the  dramas,  taking  unwearied  pains  at 
rehearsals  to  have  the  "business"  of  the  scene  well  under- 
stood, and  the  pronunciation  of  the  actors  uniform,  ami  in 
accordance  with  the  best  orthcepists.  He  had  a  wonderful 
faculty  of  imparting  his  own  spirit  to  those  surrounding  him, 
and,  in  a  little  time,  he  had  a  band  of  assistants  intent  on  the 
fulfilment  of  their  individual  parts  in  his  general  plan,  hi 
one  year  after  his  induction  into  the  managerial  chair,  the 
Museum  became  a  source  of  pride  to  the  Bostonians,  and  its 
reputation  was  widely  extended.  Its  stage  was  decorated 
with  beautiful  scenery,  its  actors  were  selected  for  their  relia- 
bility and  talent,  its  music  was  of  the  highest  character,  and 


I4O  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  entire  trtise  en  scene  free  from  the  anomalies  and  anachro- 
nisms so  common,  even  in  the  metropolis,  as  to  be  accepted 
as  inevitable. 

For  three  years  Mr.  Keach  devoted  himself  to  the  duties  of 
the  management,  at  the  same  time  playing  the  leading  parts 
in  juvenile  tragedy  and  comedy  ;  but  his  incessant  toil  shat- 
tered his  health,  and  he  was  sent  to  Europe  for  rest.  After 
a  brief  sojourn  in  London  and  Paris  he  returned  home  some- 
what improved  in  health,  and  bringing  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Museum  the  fruits  of  his  travel  ;  but,  unable  to  refrain  from 
the  absorbing  pursuits  so  dear  to  his  heart,  he  suffered  a  re- 
lapse and  soon  died.  His  death  was  an  irreparable  loss  to 
the  Museum  and  to  the  whole  dramatic  profession.  It  is  but 
reasonable  to  believe  that  had  his  life  been  spared  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  more  years  he  would  have  enjoyed  a  national  repu- 
tation, and  would  have  been  acknowledged  as  a  great  public 
benefactor. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Saunders  was  also  attached  to  this  company. 
He  was  a  good  actor  and  a  prolific  dramatist.  A  play  writ- 
ten by  him  called  "  Amy  Cranston,"  founded  on  events  in 
Rhode  Island  history,  was  performed  on  the  2d  of  August, 
but  did  not  enjoy  a  protracted  run. 

On  the  1 8th  of  December  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  Thomas 
B.  Russell  opened  the  theatre  for  a  winter  season,  with  a 
company  small  in  number,  and  far  from  efficient  in  point  of 
talent.  His  stage  manager,  who  was  also  his  leading  actor, 
soon  left  him,  and,  as  the  manager  had  had  but  little  experi- 
ence in  "  stage  business,"  he  was  seriously  embarrassed  in  the 
production  of  plays.  By  good  fortune  he  was  enabled  to  se- 
cure the  aid  of  Mr.  J.  Gustavus  Burrough,  a  young  gentleman 
of  the  city,  who  possessed  the  necessary  qualifications,  and 
chanced  at  this  time  to  have  just  returned  from  a  professional 
visit  to  Baltimore.  Thus  reenforced,  Mr.  Russell  protracted 
his  season  for  several  weeks,  during  which  time  he  produced 
as  stars  Booth,  December  25th  ;  Charlotte  Cushman,  Janu- 
ary 10th,  1844;  Chippendale,  Buckstone,  Mrs.  Fitzwil- 
liams,  Miss  Josephine  Clifton  and  Miss  Bradbury  ;  but  bad 
success  attended  his  efforts,  and  he,  too,  removed  to  another 
field. 

The  theatre  now  remained  desolate  until  July,  1844,  when 
Andrew  J.  Allen,  who  had  been  a  member  of  Mr.  Harper's 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  4  I 

company  in  1809,  brought  a  company  of  players  and  began  a 
summer  season.  He  produced  Brougham,  Forrest  and  Miss 
Clifton,  and  William  H.  Smith.  The  enterprise  resulted  un- 
fortunately ;  Mr.  Allen  forsook  Providence,  and  the  theatre 
was  again  tenantless. 

It  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  morning  of  Oct.  25,  1844. 
At  the  time  of  the  disaster  it  was  occupied  by  Doctor 
Lardner  for  astronomical  lectures.  The  fire  destroyed  his 
famous  planetarium,  which  occupied  the  entire  pit,  and  was 
valued  at  thirteen  thousand  dollars,  besides  other  apparatus 
of  a  costly  description.  The  origin  of  the  fire  was  never 
ascertained.  Some  ascribed  it  to  the  furnace  used  with  the 
little  steam  engine  which  gave  motion  to  the  planetarium  ; 
but  the  majority  deemed  it  the  work  of  an  incendiary,  im- 
pelled by  fanaticism  or  by  a  love  of  malicious  mischief.  The 
total  loss,  exclusive  of  insurance,  was  $52,000.  Dr.  Lard- 
ner's  planetarium,  which  was  destroyed,  had  been  twenty 
years  in  construction.  During  the  last  four  years  of  this 
theatre,  Mr.  G.  H.  Greene  (now  connected  with  the  Boston 
and  Providence  Clothing  Company)  was  the  treasurer. 

During  the  conflagration  the  flames  caught  the  spire  of 
the  wooden  meeting-house  opposite,  which,  however,  was  by 
great  exertions  preserved,  and  also  ignited  a  coffin  warehouse 
in  the  neighborhood.  The  doors  were  broken  open,  and  the 
crowd  who  were  watching  the  burning  theatre  and  listening 
to  the  shouts  of  the  firemen  and  the  clangor  of  the  alarm- 
bells,  were  startled  at  the  unexpected  sight  of  coffins  borne 
on  the  shoulders  of  men  running  to  and  fro  in  search  of  a 
place  of  safety. 

The  Dorrance  street  theatre  had  always  been  an  unprofitable 
investment  for  the  stockholders  and  for  the  managers  ;  to  the 
former  because  often  unrented,  and  to  the  latter  for  several 
causes.  Every  exertion  had  been  made  to  attract  the  citi- 
zens, but  they  never  made  a  liberal  response.  The  first  year 
had  been  the  best.  Then,  Mr.  Maeder,  whose  education  and 
proficiency  in  music  had  given  him  a  predilection  for  oper- 
atic drama,  had  given  particular  attention  to  their  produc- 
tion,1 endeavoring  to  please  the  most  fastidious  taste  ;  but 
he  met  with  nothing  but  disaster.     His  successors   had  ex- 

1  At  one  time  the  orchi  ined  among  its  mei 

the  Rhine,  who  had  been  compelled  by  political   troubles   to  leave  his  ©  gain  a 

livelihood  by  the  exercise  of  his  musical  talents. 


I42  HISTORY    OF    THE 

pcrimented  with  spectacles  and  with  stars,  but  all  had  aban- 
doned their  attempts  in  despair,  and  one  of  them  for  some 
time  was  an  inmate  of  the  debtor's  prison.  The  knowledge 
of  these  failures  could  not  be  concealed,  and  there  had  been 
no  candidates  for  the  lease  for  a  long  while  before  the  fire. 

The  ill  success  of  the  theatre  may  be  in  part  attributed  to 
its  inaccessible  situation.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Dor- 
rance  street  did  not  then  extend  from  Weybosset  street  to 
Westminster  street ;  and  the  passengers  through  the  latter 
thoroughfare,  not  having  before  their  eyes  the  inviting  aspect 
of  the  building  with  its  gay  lamps,  were  often  forgetful  of  its 
existence. 

The  situation  of  the  theatre  proved  to  be  unfortunate  in 
other  respects.  It  faced  the  Second  Baptist  Society's  meet- 
ing-house, on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  and  met  from  them 
opposition  even  before  the  foundation  was  laid,  as  has  been 
before  stated.  The  society  were  no  little  chagrined  that  a 
license  had  been  granted  for  theatrical  performances,  and 
their  hostility  to  the  drama  in  general  was  succeeded  by  en- 
mity to  the  Dorrance  street  theatre  in  particular.  They  tried 
to  suffer  inconveniences  from  its  proximity,  and  held  meet- 
ings with  great  frequency  on  unusual  nights ;  but  were  un- 
able to  find  themselves  annoyed,  as  they  expected.  The  in- 
difference with  which  their  behavior  was  treated  exasperated 
them,  and  they  became  more  demonstrative  of  their  opposi- 
tion. The  bell  was  rung  long  and  often,  with  so  evident  a 
design  of  disturbing  the  dramatic  entertainments,  that  Mr. 
Russell  once  lost  patience  and  silenced  the  ringing  by  ap- 
pending to  his  bills  a  notice  that  the  hour  of  performance  at 
the  theatre  would  be  regularly  announced  by  the  bell  in  the 
steeple  opposite. 

The  most  disagreeable  of  their  demonstrations  was  made  by 
preaching  against  the  stage  and  the  actors  in  such  loud  tones 
that  the  sound,  entering  the  windows  of  the  theatre,  made  it 
difficult  for  the  company  in  the  boxes  to  hear  the  plays.  A 
revivalist  of  stentorian  lungs  and  untamable  zeal,  of  the  name 
of  Knapp,  was  engaged,  and  he  "bore  testimony"  with  such 
violence  against  the  sinfulness  of  the  theatre,  particularizing 
the  performers  by  name,  that  he  was  near  occasioning 
breaches  of  the  peace.  A  distinguished  tragedian  when 
playing  an  engagement  here,  was  the  special  object  of  thedi- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  43 

atribes  of  this  zealot,  who  indulged  in  his  personalities  with 
such  virulence  that  he  so  angered  the  actor,  that  he  entered 
the  meeting-house,  and,  in  the  face  of  the  worshippers,  re- 
buked his  assailant.  Although  the  theatre  was  the  chief  ob- 
ject of  attack,  Knapp  dealt  his  abuse  with  no  unsparing  hand 
towards  other  victims  ;  and,  at  length,  to  escape  the  ven- 
geance of  an  exasperated  crowd  who  surrounded  the  meeting- 
house, he  was  obliged  to  flee  through  a  window. 

After  the  flight  of  this  apostle,  unseemly  manifestations 
of  hatred  gradually,  became  more  rare,  and  had  wholly  ceased 
some  time  before  the  theatre  was  burned.1 

Other  causes  cooperated  to  render  the  theatre  unprofit- 
able. The  best  friends  of  the  drama  were  the  stockholders, 
but  from  these  the  managers  received  nothing ;  for  all  of 
them  had  free  passes  to  the  performances,  and  they  were  so 
numerous  that  the  best  seats  were  sometimes  respectably 
full,  while  the  treasury  was  almost  empty.  Those  stockhold- 
ers who  seldom  went  to  the  theatre  were  in  the  habit  of  let- 
ting their  tickets  to  others,  and  thus  kept  money  from  the 
manager,  who  soon  found  himself  compelled  to  depend  for 
support  upon  that  part  of  the  play-going  public  which  could 
not  be  allured  by  any  attraction  other  than  the  most  expen- 
sive. To  be  able  to  procure  stars,  it  was  necessary  to  re- 
trench in  the  stock  company,  and,  consequently,  stars  at 
length  became  indispensable.     The  star  system  once  adopted, 

1  As  early  as  1S13,  or  1S14,  this  society,  then  popularly  known  from  their  situation  as 
the  "  Muddy  Dock  Baptist  Church,"  manifested  towards  theatrical  amusements  an  in- 
tolerant spirit,  which  once  culminated  in  a  riotous  proceeding-  on  the  part  of  some  of 
their  young  and  enthusiastic  converts.  A  number  ol  lads  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Benjamin  Henry  Talbot,  a  young  man  of  considerable  literary  ability,  opened  a  little 
amateur  theatre  on  the  north  side  of  Pine  street,  not  far  from  the  "conventicle."  They 
fitted  up  their  hall  with  no  little  taste,  erected  a  stage,  and  supplied  it  with  a  stock  of 
scenery  sufficient  for  all  their  probable  wants.  Their  scheme  was  immediately  denounced 
in  unmeasured  terms  by  the  pastor  of  the  meeting  opposite,  a  very  peculiar  man,  Strong  in 
his  prejudices,  ami  not  unduly  stocked  with  profane  learning1.  The  town  sergeant 
gave  the  young  actors  to  understand  that  the  town  council  would  probably  consign  them 
to  the  bridewell,  if  they  should  persist  in  their  intention,  and  actually  enact  plays.  The 
lads,  notwithstanding  the  semi-ollicial  nature  of  this  intimation,  did  produce  pla\  , 
ginning  with  "  The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  and  gave  performances  several  nights,  without 
molestation  from  the  town  authorities.  The  pastor  redoubled  his  denunciations,  and 
probably  nothing  of  a  more  serious  character  won  1,1  have  Occurred,  had  not  the  am.r 
in  retaliation  produced  an  original  satiric  drama  entitled,  "  Muddy  Dock  iii  a  Stew  ;  or, 
the  Parson  without  Breeches.  This  was  more  than  human  weakness  Could  bear;  and 
one-  night  several  of  the  devotees  of  the  flock,  headed,  it  was  said,  by  one  or  two  of  the 
deacons,  entered  the  little  theatre  after  the  lads  had  retired  to  their  homes,  and  destroyed 
the  scenery,  lamps,  costumes,  and  every  piece  of  property  that  had  been  used  for  su< 
unholy  purpose  as  playing.  Satisfied  with  this  indulgence  of  their  indignation  .iL:.iin-t  an 
object,  which  they  verily,  though  ignorant!  to  be  an  engine  of  Satan, 

away  rejoicing  that  virtue  had  triumphed.  No  legal  proceedings  were  ever  taken  against 
the  perpetrators  of  this    act  of  vandalism. 


144  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  decline  of  the  theatre  became  only  a  question  of  time. 
Although  often  large  audiences  were  gathered  within  the 
walls,  the  receipts  were  all  taken  by  the  stars,  leaving  no  profit 
for  the  manager.  Sometimes,  when  it  was  currently  reported 
that  the  audiences  were  very  large,  and  that  the  theatre 
must  be  doing  well,  the  actor  whose  reputation  had  proved 
so  attractive,  had  taken  as  his  share  not  only  all  the  receipts, 
but  had  actually  left  the  treasury  in  a  worse  condition  than 
it  had  been  before  his  appearance.  The  town,  after  having 
had  a  taste  of  good  acting,  was  so  indifferent  towards  the 
stock  company,  that  when  they  attempted  to  play  without 
extraneous  aid,  the  receipts  scarcely  paid  for  the  lights  and 
the  advertising.  At  such  times  the  poor  actors  were  reduced 
to  dismal  straits,  and  their  salaries  being  in  arrear,  they  were 
destitute  of  provisions  for  the  passing  hour,  and  harassed  by 
the  clamors  of  their  creditors. 

The  spring  of  1842  was  peculiarly  disastrous  to  their  in- 
terests. During  the  few  nights  when  the  theatre  was  open, 
the  nightly  receipts  when  divided  gave  them  a  scanty  sub- 
sistence ;  but  this  last  resource  failed  when  political  troubles 
resulting  from  the  Dorr  insurrection  occupied  public  atten-. 
tion,  and  compelled  the  closing  of  the  theatre.  They  were 
then  left  without  occupation  and  without  means  of  any  kind. 
A  few  of  the  superior  actors  were  enabled  by  friends  to  re- 
move to  other  cities,  but  starvation  confronted  the  others. 
Without  credit,  and  without  money,  all  doors  were  shut  against 
them,  and,  with  the  assent  of  the  proprietors,  eleven  of  them 
betook  themselves  to  the  theatre,  and  there  lived  several 
weeks  under  the  stage,  maintaining  life  and  hope  in  privation 
and  suffering.  The  dressing-rooms  served  them  as  sleeping 
apartments,  the  hard  banks  and  sofas  of  the  property-room 
were  their  beds,  and  the  green-room  stove  gave  them  warmth, 
and  cooked  their  poor  supplies  of  food,  procured  by  the  sale 
of  their  clothes,  trinkets,  costumes,  and  books.  During  this 
time  their  spirits  never  failed  them,  but  at  the  period  of 
their  greatest  destitution  they  remained  cheerful  and  joyous. 
Indeed,  it  may  be  doubted  if  in  any  of  the  households  of  the 
city  there  was  then  as  much  happiness,  as  in  the  cellarage  of 
the  Dorrance  street  theatre. 

At  length  this  family  was  divided.  Remittances  from 
brother  actors  in  distant  theatres  came,  and  enabled  several 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 45 

to  remove,  and  the  remnant    owed    their  deliverance  to  the 
liberality  of  John  A.  Littlefield  and  Walter  R.  Danforth. 

The  destruction  of  the  theatre  was  not  so  complete  as  to 
overthrow  the  walls,  which  now  exist,  presenting  nearly  the 
same  external  appearance  as  before  the  fire,  while  the  in- 
terior, rebuilt,  is  used  for  various  mechanical  purposes. 

10 


CHAPTER  XII. 

1846-1860. 

Howard  and  Foxes— The  Providence  Museum— Mr.  William  C. 
Forbes  Becomes  Lessee— Lola  Montez— Uncle  Tom's  Cabin— The 
Museum  Burned— Complimentary  Benefit— Forbes's  Theatre- 
Engagement  of  Forrest— Presentation  of  Plate  to  Mrs.  Forbes 
— Pyne  &  Harrison  Opera  Troupe— The  Naiad  Queen— Presen- 
tation of  Plate  to  Mr.  Forbes— Engagement  of  Lola  Montez— 
Anecdotes  of  Lola  Montez— Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  S.  Palmer— A  Sea- 
son of  Misfortunes — Complimentary  Benefit  to  Mr.  Forbes— De- 
struction of  Forbes's  Theatre— William  C.  Fobbes— Death  of 
Mrs.  Forbes— The  Varieties  Theatre— Swarts's  Hall— Pine 
Street  Theatre. 

FROM  1846  to  1850  regular  dramatic  performances  were 
given  by  a  small  company,  under  the  management  of 
G.  C.  Howard  and  G.  and  J.  A.  Fox,  at  first  in  Brown 
Hall,  in  South  Main  street,  and  afterwards  in  Cleve- 
land Hall,  in  North  Main  street.  These  managers  met  with 
unequivocal  success  until  the  opening  of  the  Providence 
Museum,  with  superior  resources,  gave  them  a  formidable 
competitor  for  public  patronage.  They  relinquished  their 
lease  in  July,  1850,  but  dramatic  entertainments  were  con- 
tinued in  the  same  hall  by  E.  W.  Bradbury,  their  principal 
actor,  for  several  months  later.  The  performances  had  con- 
sisted principally  of  melodrama  and  farce,  and  had  been  re- 
spectable in  character.  Such  performers  as  Mr.  Howard,  the 
Foxes,  G.  C.  Germon,  E.  Varrey  and  E.  W.  Bradbury,  were 
at  the  same  time  members  of  the  company,  and  were  able  to 
give  an  entertainment  very  satisfactory  to  the  audiences  who 
nightly  filled  Cleveland  Hall  ;  the  price  of  admission  being 
only  twelve  and  a  half  cents.  There  is  an  old  gentleman  in 
town,  who,  bred  in  the  notions  of  the  most  strictest  sect  of 
the  day,  had  always  regarded  the  theatre  as  the  most  danger- 
ous of  the  entrances  to  Erebus,  and  often  expressed  this  con- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  47 

viction  in  the  presence  of  his  family.  The  dreadful  news 
was  communicated  to  him  that  his  son  had  clandestinely 
gone  to  spend  an  evening  at  "Howard  and  Foxes."  Bent 
upon  rescuing  the  lad  from  destruction,  he  entered  the  hall, 
and,  while  he  was  searching  for  his  son,  the  curtain  drew  up 
and  the  play  began.  He  became  deeply  interested  in  the  in- 
cidents of  the  drama,  and  remained,  forgetful  of  the  purpose 
of  this,  his  first  visit  to  a  theatre,  until  the  conclusion  of  the 
performance,  and  then  the  two  went  home  together,  the 
father  unable  to  reproach  the  son  for  being  attracted  by  a 
diversion,  by  which  he  himself  had  been  equally  fascinated. 

"The  Providence  Museum  "  was  situated  in  Westminster 
street,  fronting  on  Orange  street.  It  was  opened  Dec.  25, 
1848,  under  the  management  of  William  C.  Forbes,  he  being 
employed  by  the  proprietors,  who  had  originated  the  plan  of 
erecting  a  hall  for  dramatic  performances  as  an  appendage 
to  a  museum  of  curiosities.  They  completed  the  hall,  but 
never  furnished  the  latter  portion  of  the  attractions.  The 
auditorium  was  lighted  by  gas  from  Almy's  gas  works,  which 
was  the  name  given  to  the  building  constructed  within  the 
walls  of  the  Dorrance  street  theatre.  The  opening  bill  con- 
sisted of  "The  Honeymoon,"  Duke  Aranza  by  Mr.  Forbes; 
Rolando,  A.  Andrews  ;  Jacques,  J.  Colwell  ;  Juliana,  Mrs. 
Forbes  ;  Volante,  Miss  Kinlock  ;  a  Pas  de  deux  by  the  Misses 
Emmons  ;  and  the  farce  of  "The  Turnpike  Gate."  The  hall 
contained  a  parquet  and  a  gallery,  and  the  price  of  admission 
to  all  parts  was  fixed  at  twenty-five  cents.  By  the  terms  ot 
the  contract  with  the  manager,  tragedy  was  never  to  be 
played  at  this  theatre,  the  proprietors  believing  that  a  strong 
prejudice  against  that  form  of  drama  prevailed  among  the 
stricter  sort  of  citizens.  In  two  or  three  weeks  after  the 
opening  night  request  was  made  by  some  influential  person 
that  "The  Stranger"  should  be  performed,  and  the  Mrs. 
Hallcr  of  Mrs.  Forbes  made  so  deep  an  impression  that  the 
proprietors  assented  to  the  production  of  a  regular  1 
"Jane  Shore"  being  accordingly  played,  the  performance 
was  so  much  admired  that  its  repetition  was  demanded,  and 
all  restrictions  were  removed  from  the  acting  of  tragi 

Disagreements  between  the  proprietors  and  the  manager 
soon  afterwards  occurred,  and,  it  having  become  apparent 
that  the  speculation  would  be  unprofitable,  the  house  closed 
March  28,  1849. 


I48  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Mr.  Forbes  immediately  made  proposals  for  a  lease  of  the 
Museum  in  his  own  name  for  five  years,  and  was  successful. 
The  yearly  rent  agreed  upon  was  three  thousand  dollars. 
During  the  negotiations  most  of  the  actors  remained  in  town 
awaiting  the  result,  and,  to  maintain  themselves,  gave  several 
entertainments  in  the  public  halls.  On  one  of  these  occa- 
sions Joseph  Cowell  introduced  upon  the  stage  his  grandchil- 
dren, Kate  and  Ellen  Bateman.  It  has  been  said  that  this 
was  the  first  appearance  in  a  dramatic  performance  of  these 
young  girls,  who  afterwards  became  famous  for  their  preco- 
cious histrionic  talents. 

Mr.  Forbes  reopened  May  16th,  with  a  good  company,  con- 
taining Joseph  Cowell,  D.  S.  Palmer,  C.  W.  Hunt,  A.  R. 
Phelps  ;  E.  F.  Keach,  Mesdames  Forbes,  Hunt,  and  C.  Mes- 
tayer,  and  the  Misses  Carpenter  and  Gertrude  Dawes,  dan- 
seuse,  and  others.  Mr.  Forbes  being  disabled  by  a  sprain  on 
the  opening  night,  his  place  was  supplied,  for  several  weeks, 
by  Mr.  Joseph  Proctor.  The  house  was  kept  open  until  July 
23d,  the  only  stars  of  the  season  being  Proctor,  Derr,  in 
equestrian  drama,  and  Wyzeman  Marshall. 

The  second  season  began  Sept.  1,  1849,  and  closed  June 
17,  1850.  During  the  recess  a  circle  of  boxes  had  been  par- 
titioned from  the  parquet,  and  other  improvements  had  been 
made.  The  price  of  entrance  to  the.  side  boxes  was  fifty 
cents,  to  the  rear  boxes  thirty  seven  cents,  to  the  parquet 
twenty-five  cents,  and  to  the  gallery  twelve  and  a  half  cents. 
Mr.  W.  A.  Arnold  became  the  treasurer,  and  occupied  that 
position  during  the  whole  time  of  Mr.  Forbes's  management, 
winning  many  friends  by  his  courteous  manners.  The  com- 
pany was  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  E.  Varrey,  H.  O. 
Pardey,  John  Drew,  W.  H.  Meeker,  Bradshaw,  Ward  ;  Mes- 
dames Yeoman  and  Ward ;  and  Misses  Eberle  and  Julia 
Leonard.  The  stars  produced  were  Herr  Cline,  Mdlle. 
Blangy,  Booth,  J.  H.  Oxley,  Mrs.  Maeder,  Derr  with  his 
trained  horse,  Mrs.  Mossop,  the  Martinetti  family,  George 
Vandenhoff,  Mrs.  Farren,  the  Seguin  opera  troupe,  T.  D. 
Rice,  and  Proctor. 

The  third  season  began  Sept.  2,  1850,  and  closed  July  5, 
185 1.  W.  B.  Chapman,  Emily  Mestayer,  and  the  Misses 
Wilmot  were  additions  to  the  company.  The  following  stars 
appeared  :    C.    D.   Pitt  (two  engagements),  J.    E.  Murdock, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 49 

Mrs.  Mossop,  Mr.  and  Miss  Nickerson,  J.  Drew,  Booth,  Miss 
Davenport,  Miss  Kimberly,  J.  Proctor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney 
Williams,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  P.  Adams,  Mr.  Neafie,  Mc.K. 
Buchanan,  Mr.    and   Mrs.    J.    Gilbert,  and    F.    S.   Chanfrau. 

Francis  S.  Chanfrau  was  born  in  New  York,  1824;  he  re- 
ceived a  good  education  and  went  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter. He  joined  a  dramatic  society  of  young  men  and  at 
once  begot  such  a  taste  for  the  stage  that  he  accepted  the 
position  of  "super"  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  where  he  soon 
became  a  favorite,  especially  from  his  imitations  of  Mr.  For- 
rest. He  made  his  first  hit  as  Jerry  Clip,  in  "The  Widow's 
Victim,"  and  followed  this  with  "  Mose,  the  Fireman  ;  "  but 
his  most  permanent  success  was  Kit,  in  "  The  Arkansas 
Traveller."  In  this  piece  he  acted  till  his  death,  in  1884. 
Kit  was  to  the  American  public  with  Chanfrau  what  Fal- 
staff  was  to  Hackett ;  Bardivell  Slotc  to  Florence  ;  Rip  Van 
Winkle  to  Jefferson  ;  Solon  Shingle  to  John  E.  Owens  ; 
Colonel  Sella s  to  Raymond  ;  Sir  Anthony  Absolute  to  John 
Gilbert,  or  Major  Wellington  de  Boots  to  John  S.  Clark. 

The  fourth  season  began  Sept.  6,  185 1,  and  ended  July 
10,  1852.  Messrs.  Wharton,  J.  D.  Grace,  J.  G.  Hanley,  S. 
Johnston,  and  P.  Cunningham,  and  Miss  Graham  were  the 
new  appearances.  Star  engagements  were  played  by  Fanny 
Wallack,  Mr.  McVicker,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Williams,  Me- 
linda  Jones,  Booth,  J.  R.  Scott,  Julia  Turnbull,  Mrs.  Warner, 
Mr.  and  Miss  Barrett,  Mr.  Neafie,  Charlotte  Cushman,  G.  V. 
Brooke,  Lola  Montez,  Mr.  Collins,  Mrs.  Sinclair,  and  George 
Vandenhoff.  During  the  engagement  of  Miss  Cushman  the 
price  of  tickets  was  advanced  fifty  per  cent.  The  engage- 
ment of  Lola  Montez  extended  to  only  one  night,  March  20th, 
when  the  price  of  admission  was  doubled,  and  the  choice  of 
seats  was  sold  at  auction.  The  highest  price  bid  was  for  a 
box  containing  twelve  seats,  which  brought  twenty-three  dol- 
lars premium.  The  whole  of  the  parquet  was  bought  by  a 
speculator  at  an  advance  of  twelve  and  a  half  cents  on  each 
seat,  and  he  made  a  considerable  profit  by  disposing  of  them 
to  the  throngs  who  contended  for  admission. 

The  fifth  season  opened  Sept.  4,  1852,  and  closed  June  4, 
1853.  Several  performers  made  their  first  Providence  ap- 
pearances this  year.  These  were  C.  Stuart,  W.  Leffingwell, 
Emma  Taylor,  Emily  Waldegrave,  and  Mrs.  Kinlock.     The 


I50  HISTORY    OF    THE 

stars  presented  were  Julia  Dean,  Anna  C.  Mowatt,  Miss 
Kimberly,  Ellen  and  Kate  Bateman,  J.  R.  Scott,  Goodall, 
Susan  and  Kate  Denin,  Mrs.  Warner,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Drew 
(Mrs.  Drew  being  the  Mrs.  Mossop  of  former  seasons),  Miss 
Fitzpatrick,  J.  Oxley,  Lysander  Thompson,  the  Rousetti 
family  with  John  Sefton,  and  W.  Marshall.  The  great  suc- 
cess of  the  season  was  the  production  on  the  10th  of  January,. 
1853,  of  H.  J.  Conway's  dramatization  of  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin."  It  was  played  four  weeks  and  one  night  consecu- 
tively, and  until  February  7th  ;  was  revived  February  17th, 
for  three  nights  ;  May  3d,  for  six  nights  ;  and  June  3d,  one 
night  for  the  benefit  of  H.  O.  Pardey,  who,  as  the  hero  of  the 
drama,  had  been  the  centre  of  interest.  This  play  has  been 
performed  in  every  theatre  of  the  northern  states,  and  has 
made  the  fortunes  of  several  managers  ;  but,  it  may  be  con- 
fidently asserted,  that  in  no  other  theatre  has  the  principal 
character  been  so  effectively  sustained  as  in  the  Museum. 
Mr.  Pardey,  although  he  loathed  the  part  on  account  of  the 
necessity  of  blacking  his  face,  won  for  himself  a  more  per- 
manent fame  as  Uncle  Tom,  than  all  the  other  triumphs  of  his 
life  could  have  procured  him.  The  play  attracted  large 
audiences  until  its  withdrawal,  many  of  the  spectators  being 
present  at  several  of  the  representations,  and  not  a  few  of 
them  being  persons  who  visited  the  Museum  because  it  was 
not  a  theatre,  to  see  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  because  it  was  a 
"  moral  drama." 

The  sixth  season  began  Sept.  3,  1853.  In  addition  to 
many  of  the  favorites  of  former  years,  the  manager  had  se- 
cured the  services  of  L.  P.  Roys,  John  Dunn,  H.  Linden,  F. 
Hardenburg,  and  Isabella  Andrews,  the  Misses  Kendall  (dan- 
cers), and  Mrs.  C.  A.  Adams.  Star  engagements  had  been 
played  by  Kate  and  Ellen  Bateman,  Sir  William  Don,  Bart., 
and  T.  D.  Rice;  and  the  spectacular  drama  of  "Paris  and 
London"  had  run  nine  nights  with  such  remunerative  returns, 
that  it  was  believed  it  would  prove  as  great  a  success  as 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  when  the  Museum  was  destroyed  by 
fire  on  the  night  of  October  27th.  The  fire  was  the  most 
disastrous  of  all  with  which  the  city  had  been  afflicted,  prop- 
erty of  the  value  of  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars 
being  consumed.  It  originated  in  a  haberdasher's  shop  in 
"Howard  Block,"  separated  only  by  a  narrow  alley  from  the 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  151 

Museum  building,  and,  in  a  few  hours,  communicated  itself  to 
the  Museum,  burning  it  to  the  ground.  Mr.  Forbes  lost  his 
properties  and  costumes,  of  the  value  of  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  being  the  entire  savings  of  his  five  years  of  manage- 
ment. He  paid  his  indebtedness  to  all  the  members  of  his 
company  to  the  day  of  the  disaster,  and  discharged  them. 
Before  their  dispersion  they  tendered  him  a  complimentary 
benefit,  which  took  place  November  3d,  in  Westminster  Hall, 
when  the  bill  consisted  of  "The  Honeymoon"  and  "My 
Precious  Betsey,"  with  dances  by  the  Misses  Kendall.  These 
plays  were  acted  in  costume,  but  without  scenery. 

"  Forbes's  Theatre  "  was  a  commodious  edifice,  raised  by 
George  A.  Howard,  upon  the  site  of  the  Museum.  It  con- 
tained a  parquet,  a  row  of  boxes  called  the  dress  circle,  a 
second  tier  called  the  family  circle,  and  a  gallery.  The  stage 
was  well  provided  with  accommodations  for  the  preparation 
of  scenery,  and  the  working  of  the  necessary  mechanism. 
The  proscenium  arch  had  an  imposing  sweep,  and  contained 
a  tastefully  decorated  box  on  each  side  for  the  use  of  the 
performers. 

The  auditorium  during  the  first  season  presented  a  cheer- 
less aspect,  as  the  walls  were  unpainted,  owing  to  a  misun- 
derstanding between  the  manager  and  the  proprietor  of  the 
building,  who  had  purchased  it  in  the  process  of  construction, 
subject  to  a  contract  made  by  the  former  owner  to  build  a 
theatre  provided  with  necessary  scenery  and  fixtures,  and  to 
lease  the  same  for  five  years  to  Mr.  Forbes,  but  not  stipulat- 
ing for  the  painting  of  the  walls.  A  lawsuit  grew  out  of  the 
matter,  causing  much  ill  feeling  between  the  parties. 

This  theatre  was  opened  Sept.  6,  1854,  with  an  admirable 
stock  company,  whose  performances  proved  so  attractive  that 
Mr.  Forbes  was  able  for  about  five  months  to  dispense  with 
the  assistance  of  stars.  On  the  12th  of  February,  1855, 
Edwin  Forrest  made  his  first  appearance  in  eleven  years, 
opening  his  engagement  with  "  Hamlet."  The  prices  wen- 
advanced  thirty-three  per  cent.,  and  so  great  was  the  desire 
to  witness  the  acting  of  the  greatest  tragedian  of  the  day, 
that  his  stay  was  protracted  from  the  two  weeks,  origin 
contemplated,  to  three.  The  theatre  was  visited  by  large 
numbers  from  the  neighboring  towns.  On  the  night  he 
played  Macbeth,   one  party  from    Woonsocket    secured  one 


152  HISTORY    OF    THE 

hundred  and  twenty  tickets.  The  house  had  been  intended 
to  accommodate  fifteen  hundred  people  with  seats,  yet  more 
than  seventeen  hundred  witnessed  the  performances  of 
"Richelieu,"  "Macbeth,"  and  "Othello."  The  audiences 
increased  as  Mr.  Forrest  proceeded  to  enact  the  plays  written 
specially  for  himself,  and  the  house  overflowed  on  the  first 
nights  of  "  Metamora,"  "Jack  Cade,"  and  "The  Gladiator"  ; 
each  of  which  was  performed  three  times  during  this  engage- 
ment, the  smallest  audience  being  present  at  each  third  per- 
formance, when  they  numbered  about  twelve  hundred.  On 
the  17th,  Mr.  Forrest  was  prevented  by  hoarseness  from  ap- 
pearing in  "Damon  and  Pythias,"  as  advertised;  but  he 
remained  one  day  after  the  expiration  of  his  three  weeks,  and 
played  the  part  to  an  excellent  house.  By  the  terms  of  his 
agreement  he  received  half  of  the  gross  receipts ;  yet  so 
great  was  his  attractiveness  that  the  management,  after 
deducting  all  expenses,  made  large  gains. 

Forrest  was  followed  by  Mrs.  Farren,  J.  Proctor,  and  J. 
Bennett.  On  the  23d  of  April,  Mrs.  Forbes  received  a  com- 
plimentary benefit,  when  a  beautiful  silver  tea  service,  con- 
sisting of  eight  pieces,  was  presented  to  her  by  her  many 
friends. 

E.  L.  Davenport  began  an  engagement  April  27th,  in  his 
celebrated  personation  of  Hamlet,  and  played  two  weeks  a 
round  of  romantic  and  tragic  characters,  repeating  St.  Marc 
four  times.  On  the  evening  of  his  benefit,  Miss  Fanny  Vin- 
ing  made  her  appearance  in  "  Love  and  Loyalty,"  and  "A 
Morning  Call." 

He  was  succeeded  by  the  Pyneand  Harrison  English  opera 
troupe,  containing  Louisa  and  Susan  Pyne,  W.  Harrison, 
Borrani,  Horncastle,  and  a  small  though  efficient  chorus.  All 
the  fashion  of  the  town  crowded  the  theatre  during  this  week 
of  opera,  and  the  prices  of  admission,  though  raised  to  double 
the  usual  tariff,  were  not  too  high  to  exclude  even  some  of 
the  wealthiest  of  the  citizens.  The  college  authorities  re- 
laxed their  rigorous  rules,  and  gave  the  students  permission 
to  visit  the  theatre  so  long  as  nothing  but  opera  was  played  ; 
and  many  of  them  who  would  have  been  promptly  expelled  had 
they  been  detected  at  the  representations  of  "  Hamlet,"  or 
"  Ion, "or  "  Comus,"  were  present  unprohibited  at  the  perform- 
ance of  "The  Beggar's  Opera,"  the  most  immoral,  perhaps  the 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  53 

only  immoral  play  that  was  ever  produced — one  in  which  all  the 
dramatis  persona  were  thieves  and  prostitutes,  and  through 
the  representation  of  which,  were  it  given  without  the  music, 
no  decent  person  would  sit. 

It  is  to  be  mentioned  to  the  credit  of  Louisa  Pyne,  that 
when  tenders  were  made  to  her  of  large  sums  of  money,  one 
party  guaranteeing  five  hundred  dollars,  if  she  would  give  a 
concert  one  afternoon  during  her  stay  in  Providence,  for  the 
gratification  of  those  whose  principles  would  not  permit  them 
to  hear  her  in  a  theatre,  she  peremptorily  declined,  saying  that 
she  was  engaged  to  Mr.  Forbes  for  the  week,  and  felt  bound 
to  give  him  all  her  services  during  that  period. 

The  theatre  was  closed  from  May  26th  to  June  1 8th,  when 
Charlotte  Crampton  played  two  weeks,  and  the  season  was 
terminated  July  7th. 

Charlotte  Crampton  might  have  been  one  of  the  most  fam- 
ous actresses  of  the  clay,  were  it  not  for  unfortunate  habits. 
She  was  born  in  18 16,  and  made  her  debut  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
in  Cincinnati.  She  was,  at  that  time,  a  petite  and  lovely 
brunette,  with  a  voice  wonderfully  strong  for  so  slight  a  girl, 
and  with  all  the  requisites  for  what  is  now  called  an  emotional 
actress.  But  she  chose  the  more  robust  types,  and  particu- 
larly enjoyed  playing  Hamlet,  Shy  lock  and  Richard.  She  was 
acknowledged  to  be  more  than  ordinarily  good  in  male  parts, 
and  in  the  west,  was  called  the  Little  Siddons.  Celia  Logan 
says  she  had,  naturally,  more  talent  than  Charlotte  Cush- 
man,  (?)  but  unlike  the  greater  actress,  this  other  Charlotte, 
hot-headed  and  warm-hearted,  threw  away  both  her  money  and 
her  affections,  disappointed  the  managers,  disgraced  the  pro- 
fession, and  ruined  herself.  One  bitter  cold  night,  in  Boston, 
after  playing  Mazeppa  to  a  crowded  house,  she  jumped  on  her 
horse  in  stage  costume  and  rode  home  through  the  streets, 
followed  by  the  rabble.  After  her  star  had  set,  and  she  could 
get  no  engagements,  she  fell  into  poverty,  but  was  befriended 
by  a  Boston  lady,  who  discovered  that  the  actress  was  also  a 
fine  French  and  Latin  scholar,  and  obtained  pupils  for  her. 
Now,  for  a  period,  she  tried  to  reform,  signed  the  pledge,  and 
joined  the  Baptist  church.  Her  temperance  lectures  in  1  lan- 
over  street  are  still  remembered  as  being  productivr  ol  greal 
good.  But  her  reformation  was  only  transient,  and  before  the 
war  broke  out,  she  was  leading  her  old  life   again.      Her  sun 


154  HISTORY    OF    THE 

joining  the  army,  she,  although  now  more  than  a  middle-aged 
woman,  became  a  vivandiere  and  followed  her.  boy's  regiment 
through  the  campaign.  Her  last  appearance  here  was  in 
November,  1872,  in  the  support  of  Edwin  Booth.  She  died 
in  Louisville,  Oct.  5,  1875.  Her  last  appearance  on  the  stage 
was  in  Macauley's  Theatre,  Louisville,  Sept.  22,  1875,  in  the 
company  with  John  McCullough,  Harry  Eytinge,  W.  N. 
Griffiths,  R.  G.  Scott,  E.  F.  Goodrich,  Hattie  Russell,  Frank 
Bosworth,  Ed.  Marble  and  Ada  Rehan. 

The  season  of  1855-6  began  September  5th.  The  manager 
had  decorated  the  interior  of  the  house,  and  had  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  a  large  company  of  twenty-three  actors,  the  orchestra, 
machinists,  and  other  assistants  swelling  the  entire  number 
to  fifty.  The  principal  additions  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  J. 
Prior,  L.  R  Roys,  E.  C.  Prior,  W.  H.  Finn,  and  Mrs.  M.  A. 
Tyrrell  The  succession  of  stars  commenced  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  G.  C.  Howard  with  their  daughter  Cordelia,  for 
three  weeks,  who  were  followed  by  E.  L.  Davenport  and 
Fanny  Vining,  the  Pyne  and  Harrison  troupe,  eight  nights  to 
excellent  houses,  the  Boon  children,  Eliza  Logan,  J.  W.  Wal- 
lack,  Maggie  Mitchell,  from  January  15th  to  February  2d,  to 
immense  audiences,  J.  Proctor,  E.  F.  Keach,  (one  night),  \V. 
Marshall,  and  Mrs.  Farren.  The  theatre  was  closed  from 
May  17th  to  June  15th.  when  it  was  reopened  and  perform- 
ances were  given  until  July  5th. 

Maggie  Mitchell  has  appeared  in  Providence  more  than  any 
other  living  star.  For  nearly  forty  years  she  has  been  com- 
ing to  this  city,  and  most  of  her  visits  have  been  very  profit- 
able ones.  Upon  one  occasion,  in  1870,  when  she  played  in 
Harrington's  Opera  House,  every  seat  upon  the  lower  floor 
was  sold  before  the  doors  were  opened,  and  also  about  one- 
half  of  the  seats  upstairs.  She  was  born  in  New  York  in 
1832,  and  may  be  said  to  have  been  born  on  the  stage,  be- 
cause she  was  used  as  a  child  on  the  stage  before  she  could 
walk,  and  when  she  could  walk  took  a  child's  part  in  the  Old 
Bowery  Theatre  before  she  was  five  years  old.  She  made 
her  debut  as  an  actress  as  Julia,  in  "  The  Soldier's  Daughter  " 
at  Burton's  Chambers  Street  Theatre.  She  achieved  a  fair 
success  in  various  cities  as  the  French  Spy,  etc.,  but  her 
great  role,  with  which  her  name  will  be  most  permanently 
associated,  is  Fanchon,  in  which  she  appeared  for  the  first 
time  at  Laura  Keene's  Theatre  in  1862. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  155 

The  great  success  of  the  year  was  the  production  of  the 
spectacular  drama  of  "The  Naiad  Queen,"  which  proved  very 
profitable  from  April  14th  to  May  10th,  Miss  Anna  Cruise 
enacting  Lurline.  On  the  occurrence  of  Mr.  Forbes's  benefit, 
March  20th,  six  pieces  of  silver  plate  were  presented  to  him, 
the  gift  of  the  ladies  of  the  city. 

The  season  of  1856-7  opened  September  1st,  and  continued 
to  June  6,  1857,  when  the  company  visited  New  Bedford,  re- 
turning to  Providence  during  the  first  week  in  July.  The  prin- 
cipal performers  were  G.  H.  Griffith,  D.  S.  Palmer,  E.  Varrey, 
Loveday,  E.  C.  Prior  ;  Mesdames  Forbes,  Palmer,  and  Baker  ; 
and  Misses  G.  Kinlock,  and  I.  Andrews.  The  stars  were  J. 
Drew,  J.  Proctor,  Miss  Davenport,  G.  E.  Locke,  J.  Oxley,  J. 
R.  Anderson  and  Agnes  Elsworthy,  Lola  Montez  from 
February  12th  to  February  17th,  Mrs.  McMahon,  Miss 
Kimberly,  Maggie  Mitchell,  Forrest  for  one  week,  and  E.  L. 
Davenport. 

The  most  attractive  of  the  stars  was  Lola  Montez,  Countess 
of  Lansfeldt.  Very  little  accurate  knowledge  of  this  lady's 
career  was  possessed  in  Providence  ;  but  there  was  scarcely  a 
person  who  had  not  often  read,  or  heard  of  her  figuring  in 
disgraceful  notoriety  at  the  Bavarian  court,  and  of  her  fre- 
quent castigations  of  journalists,  who  had,  by  giving  currency 
to  scandals  concerning  her  life,  incurred  her  resentment. 
Authentic  information  was  scarcely  required  ;  for,  where 
rumors  had  lacked  definiteness,  imagination  furnished  ample 
supplies  of  details.  The  capacity  of  the  theatre  was 
tested  to  the  fullest  extent  on  her  opening  night,  a  little  more 
than  two  thousand  spectators  being  present.  In  that  im- 
mense audience  there  were  but  few  who  did  not  expect  to  be- 
hold a  figure  largely  developed  and  muscular,  and  a  face  dis- 
playing the  multifarious  charms  which  had  enslaved  herroyal 
suitor,  but  yet  bold  in  its  expression.  She  appeared — her 
face — Spanish  in  its  outline — pale  and  thin,  and  her  only 
trace  of  beauty  her  lustrous  eyes ;  her  expression  modest  and 
intellectual,  and  her  performance  chaste  and  graceful,  though 
indicating  talent  of  no  high  order — a  disappointment  <>l  the 
prurient  expectations  of  those  who  during  her  engagement 
crowded  into  unwonted  seats.  She  remained  one  week, draw- 
ing full  houses  to  the  last,  living   during   the   day    in   retire- 


I56  HISTORY    OF    THE 

ment,  reading  religious  works,  and  steadily,  calmly,  hopefully 
preparing  for  death,  having  full  persuasion  that  consumption 
had  sapped  the  pillars  of  her  life,  and  that  she  was  soon  to 
make  her  final  exit.  With  this  fearful  conviction  resting  on 
her  mind,  she  spoke  freely  of  her  past  life,  and,  though  she 
acknowledged  grievous  faults  and  numberless  short-comings, 
she  characterized  as  baseless  slanders  the  aspersions  so 
lavishly  bestowed  upon  her  character.  Here  she  persistently 
asserted  to  those  whose  good  opinion  she  prized,  her  inno- 
cence of  the  black  offences  charged  against  her,  alluding  to 
her  calumniators  with  a  disdain  as  haughty  as  she  had  evinced 
when  a  few  years  before  in  Boston,  in  a  letter  to  an  offend- 
ing editor,  she  defied  her  accusers  to  the  proof. 

The  company  at  the  theatre  did  not  then  contain  many 
actors  of  talent.  Among  those  whose  personations  were 
least  successful,  was  the  "second  old  man,"  who,  though  of 
excellent  character,  had  never  been  designed  by  nature  for 
the  stage.  His  peculiarities  were  a  monotonous  voice  and  a 
perpetual  sawing  of  the  air  with  his  hand.  He  soon  became 
a  mark  for  the  boys  in  the  gallery,  who  found  a  pleasure  in 
ridiculing  and  mocking  him.  This  was  their  nightly  sport, 
and,  as  hunting  is  one  of  the  natural  delights  of  mankind, 
they  soon  found  ready  coadjutors  in  other  parts  of  the  house; 
and,  even  those  who  took  no  part  in  the  persecution,  mightily 
enjoyed  the  excitement.  Poor  Duffy  (this  was  the  name  of 
the  actor)  became  grieviously  depressed,  but  redoubled  his 
exertions  to  please.  His  increased  activity  was  so  ludicrous, 
that  the  boys  were  frantic  with  delight,  and  their  joy  culmi- 
nated one  night  during  the  engagement  of  Lola  Montez,  whose 
indignation  was  aroused  at  the  brutality  of  their  behavior. 
After  a  successful  coup  on  her  benefit  night,  she  was  called 
before  the  curtain,  and,  instead  of  delivering  the  conventional 
speech  tendering  thanks,  she  broke  at  once  into  invective, 
uttering  those  short,  sharp,  and  pinging  upbraidings,  which 
can  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  them.  She  told 
the  audience,  now  still  from  curiosity  and  shame,  how  she  had 
observed  the  effect  of  their  cruelty  on  an  inoffensive  man, 
whose  simplicity  of  character  and  singleness  of  aim  had  en- 
deared him  to  those  who  knew  him  best.  At  first,  she  said 
he  thought  that  some  remissness  on  his  part  had  incurred 
their  displeasure,  and   he  gave  his  whole  time  and  all  his 


PROVIDENCE  STAGE.  I  57 

thoughts  to  perfecting  himself  in  his  duty,  but  with  so  little 
avail  that  greater  insults*  had  been  heaped  upon  him,  and  he 
had  that  evening  announced  his  intention  of  forsaking  the 
stage  and  leaving  Providence.  "  Boys,"  said  she,  "his  heart 
is  broken — and  by  you  !  I  have  tried  to  persuade  him  to  re- 
main, and  have  assured  him  that  you  have  no  malice  towards 
him,  but  he  says  he  shall  go.  Boys,  would  you  ruin  the  old 
man  !  Let  me  tell  him  that  it  is  your  wish  that  he  remain  ;  may 
I  ?  "  Such  plaudits  as  broke  from  the  throng,  now  sensible 
of  the  wickedness  of  their  conduct,  that  theatre  never 
heard  before. 

Mr.  Duffy,  however,  did  not  appear  again.  A  paper  signed 
by  many  citizens,  requesting  him  to  remain,  and  assuring 
him  of  protection,  was  carried  a  few  days  afterwards  to  him 
in  Boston,  where  he  had  gone  ;  but  he  had  not  the  resolution 
to  return  ;  and,  in  a  few  months,  it  was  currently  reported 
that  he  was  dead. 

At  this  time,  in  a  little  cottage  on  Fulton  street,  lay  dying- 
one  of  the  most  graceful  "  light  comedians  "  on  the  stage, — 
David  S.  Palmer.  Though  in  the  last  stages  of  consumption, 
and  daily  growing  weaker,  he  would  not  admit  the  thoughts 
of  dissolution,  and  his  faithful  wife  dared  not  communicate 
to  him  the  dreadful  tidings.  For  a  long  series  of  days  she 
had  pursued  her  laborious  avocations  at  the  theatre,  and  had 
ministered  to  all  the  necessities  of  her  husband,  and  her  two 
infants.  Her  beauty  was  a  continual  source  of  pleasure 
to  the  spectators,  and  to  them  her  life  seemed  joyous,  while 
care  and  sorrow  were  robbing  her  of  health,  and  preying  upon 
her  beauty.  The  peculiar  claims  of  this  family-  being  con- 
fided to  Lola  Montez,  touched  her  sensibilities,  and  thence- 
forth, while  she  remained  in  Providence,  she  was  a  daily  vis- 
itor in  their  household,  provided  generously  for  their  needs, 
bore  her  part  in  the  offices  of  the  sick-room,  and,  with  gentle 
sympathy,  subdued  the  stubborn  will  of  the  dying  man,  pre- 
paring the  way  for  other  consolations.  When  she  left  Provi- 
dence grateful  hearts  remembered  her,  and  blessings  followed 
her.  "Sick,  and  ye  visited  me."  Poor  Palmer,  however, 
lived  but  a  short  while,  and  was  buried  before  the  end  <>l  the 
season  in  Grace  Church  Cemetery.  His  friend  and  ben 
did  not  long  survive  him,  and  she  too  passed  from  a  cruel 
world  to  find  mercy  and  plenteous  redemption. 


158  HISTORY     OF    THE 

Palmer  had  been  aprotegeoi  Mr.  Forbes,  by  whom  he  had  been 
introduced  to  the  stage,  and  encouraged  until  his  merit  as  an 
actor  was  generally  recognized.  During  his  last  illness,  he  was 
constantly  visited  by  Mrs.  Forbes,  whose  sympathy  for  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  members  of  the  dramatic  company  won  their  love 
and  admiration,  and  evinced  the  noblest  attributes  of  the  Chris- 
tian character.  Her  presence  brightened  his  household — it  was 
she  who  communicated  his  hopeless  condition  to  Lola  Montez ; 
and  she  it  was  who  brought  to  his  side  the  clergyman  whose 
ministrations  soothed  his  dying  moments.  Nor  was  the  man- 
ager himself  remiss  in  his  attentions  to  the  sorrowing  family 
of  the  poor  actor  ;  but  he  continued  his  salary  while  he  lived, 
and  then  from  his  own  little  means  defrayed  the  expenses  of 
the  funeral.  Mrs.  Palmer,  at  the  end  of  the  season,  removed 
from  Providence,  and,  in  a  few  months,  her  death  was  re- 
corded in  the  public  prints. 

The  season  of  1857-8  opened  on  the  26th  of  August.  The 
manager  made  great  efforts  to  provide  attractive  performers, 
beginning  with  the  Keller  troupe,  who  were  followed  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  G.  Pauncefort,  Miss  Davenport,  F.  S.  Chanfrau,  J. 
Proctor,  the  Ronzani  ballet  troupe,  Maria  Ouinn,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Drew,  Sallie  St.  Clair,  McK.  Buchanan,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Howard,  J.  Sefton  and  his  daughter,  Alice  Grey,  and  Mag- 
gie Mitchell.  This  year  was  one  of  great  financial  depression 
in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  theatres  suffered  severely. 
Forbes's  theatre  was  closed  two  weeks  in  January,  and  two 
weeks  in  March ;  and  no  performances  were  given  by  the 
company  after  the  28th  of  April.  Notwithstanding  the  unin- 
termitted  exertions  of  the  manager,  almost  every  performance 
occasioned  a  loss,  and,  when  he  closed,  his  entire  savings 
had  disappeared.  No  star  could  fill  the  house,  and  even 
Maggie  Mitchell,  whose  previous  engagements  had  always 
proved  exceedingly  remunerative,  lost  her  prestige.  Many  a 
night  the  play  was  acted  to  houses  varying  from  ten  to 
twenty  dollars,  when  the  nightly  expenses  ranged  from  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  At  length,  Mr. 
Forbes  called  the  company  together,  and,  having  made  known 
to  them  his  inability  to  pay  full  salaries,  proposed  that  the  lar- 
ger stipends  should  be  reduced,  while  the  others  should  remain 
unaltered,  liberty  being  given  to  any  performer  to  withdraw 
whenever  he   could  procure  a  better  engagement  elsewhere. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  59 

This  plan  was  adopted,  and  performances  were  regularly- 
given  until  the  diminished  receipts  of  the  treasurer  rendered 
it  impossible  to  continue  them.  The  personal  friends  of  Mr. 
Forbes  gave  him  a  benefit  in  the  month  of  March,  when 
''The  School  for  Scandal"  was  played,  Mr.  John  Gilbert  per- 
sonating Sir  Peter  Teazle.  A  very  large  audience  was  in 
attendance,  and  the  excellent  acting  of  all  the  performers  on 
this  occasion,  was  for  a  long  time  afterward  a  subject  of  gen- 
eral remark.  The  language  of  the  comedy  seemed  to  scintil- 
late with  brightness,  each  sentence  cracking  like  an  electric 
spark.  The  actors,  stimulated  by  the  unusual  spectacle  of  a 
full  house,  were  in  perfect  sympathy  with  the  audience, 
each  reacting  on  the  other,  and  the  play  throughout  warmly 
applauded,  closed  like  a  feu  de  joie.  The  valet,  Trip,  never 
a  great  part,  elicited  that  night  for  Mr.  G.  Sydney,  who 
played  it  as  none  other  could,  an  outbreak  of  admiration, 
while  the  great  screen  scene  was  as  enthusiastically  received 
as  though  it  had  never  before  been  witnessed. 

Later  in  the  spring,  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Forbes,  the 
Boston  Theatre  Company  came  and  performed  "Guy  Man- 
nering"  one  night,  with  Charlotte  Cushman  as  Meg  Merri/ies, 
and  E.  L.  Davenport  as  Henry  Bertram.  The  night  was 
stormy,  yet  the  crowd  was  very  dense. 

This  was  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Forbes's  management,  and  it 
had  been  so  disastrous  that  he  was  unwilling  to  attempt 
another  season.  The  theatre  remained  untenanted  several 
months,  with  the  exception  of  five  nights,  when  it  was  occu- 
pied by  the  Cooper  English  opera  company,  with  Anna 
Milner  as  prima  donna;  and  of  two  nights,  when  Italian 
opera  was  produced  for  the  first  time  in  Providence.  The 
edifice  was  burned  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  15,  1858,  the  fire 
having  communicated  from  Howard  Block,  where  it  had 
originated. 

William  C.  Forbes,  who  for  ten  years  had  maintained  the 
theatre  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  city,  was  no  strati 
to  the  citizens  when  he  opened  the  Museum.  A  native  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  he  had  been  sent  in  his  youth  to  New 
port  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  and,  in  1S25,  he  visited  Prov- 
idence. Becoming  attached  to  the  place,  he  made  it  his 
abode,  and  soon  attended  the  theatre.  The  play  was  to  him 
a  revelation   of  delights  before  undreamed  of,  and  produced 


l6o  HISTORY    OF    THE 

so  deep  an  impression  on  his  mind  that  he  burned  to  be  an 
actor.  A  young  man  named  Parsons,  who  subsequently  be- 
came an  actor  of  repute,  and  is  now  a  prominent  Methodist 
preacher  in  Kentucky,  was  similarly  affected  by  a  desire  for 
theatrical  fame,  and  they  both  were  accustomed  to  meet  in 
the  woods  behind  the  Cove  and  practise  their  elocutionary 
powers  by  moonlight. 

After  a  little  while  young  Forbes  determined  to  gain  a  foot- 
ing on  the  stage,  and,  as  he  was  nearly  destitute  of  means,  he 
started    on  foot  for  Albany,  where  a  theatre  was  open,  and 
where  several  kind  friends  resided.     When  he  had  accom- 
plished half  of  his  journey  he  reached  a  village  inn,  where  he 
proposed  to  lodge  for  the  night.     In  a  conversation  with  the 
landlord,  he  learned  that  the  villagers  had  few  opportunities 
of  enjoying  any  public  amusements,  although  concerts  were 
much  liked  by  them.     It  then  occurred  to  him  that  by  an  en- 
tertainment he  might  replenish  his  purse,  and  he  applied  for 
the  large  room  of  the  inn.     This  the  landlord  agreed  to  fur- 
nish, provided  the  performance  should  be  followed  by  a  dance. 
Mr.  Forbes  thereupon  made  a  number  of  manuscript  posters, 
advertising  a  selection  of  songs  and  recitations,  and  conspic- 
uously announcing  the  Terpsichorean  festivities   with  which 
the  evening  would  conclude.     These  bills  were  well  distrib- 
uted, and  brought  a  good  audience,  who  endured  the  singing, 
and  warmly  applauded  the  recitations.     The  pecuniary  results 
were  so  satisfactory  that  the  young  man  was   enabled   to  ac- 
complish the  remainder  of  the  distance  in  the  stage-coach. 
Mr.  Forbes  made  his  debut  at  Albany,  and,  at  length,  after 
some  experience  of  the  vicissitudes  of  an  actor's  life,  he  found 
himself  in  Jamaica,  playing  the  first  line  in  tragedy  and  com- 
edy.    On  his  return  to  the  United  States,  he  was  engaged  by 
James  H.  Caldwell  as  a  star,  and  made  his  first  appearance  in 
that  capacity  at  the  Camp  street  theatre,  in  New  Orleans,  as 
Virginius.     His  reputation  extended,  and  he  made  the  tour  of 
the  western  theatres  with  unequivocal  success.     At  the  open- 
ing of  the  Tremont  theatre  in  Boston,  he  became  its  leading 
actor,  and  made  his  mark  in  many  characters.     After  his  mar- 
riage, he  managed  for  ten  years  theatres  in  Savannah,  Charles- 
ton, Columbia,  and  Augusta,  all  at  the  same  time,  except  when 
at  intervals  the  Charleston  theatre  was  shut.     Notwithstand- 
ing his  avocations  in  these  remote  places,  he  came  to   Provi- 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  l6l 

dence  nearly  every  year,  and,  when  the  Dorrance  street  thea- 
tre was  building.  Henry  J.  Finn,  to  whom  its  lease  had  been 
tendered,  proposed  to  him  a  partnership  for  the  purpose  of 
undertaking  its  management.  Doubts  regarding  the  proba- 
bilities of  its  success  deterred  them  from  this  enterprise  ;  but, 
in  1849,  the  city  had  received  such  an  increment  of  population, 
that  the  support  of  a  theatre  seemed  to  him  feasible.  He 
thereupon  secured  the  Museum,  and,  when  he  finally  left 
Providence,  he  had  attained  an  enviable  reputation  for  profes- 
sional skill,  business  capacity,  benevolence,  and  integrity. 

Mr.  Blake  pays  the  following  well-merited  tribute  to  Mr. 
Forbes  and  to  some  of  the  prominent  members  of  his  com- 
panies : 

"  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  dwell  with  more  particularity 
upon  the  incidents  of  his  management,  and  to  speak  of  the 
tone  which  he  gave  by  his  well-considered  regulations  to  the 
stage  while  under  his  charge  ;  for  these  are  matters  yet  fresh 
in  the  recollections  of  the  people  of  Providence — bright  spots, 
like  the  green  circles  that  betray  the  fairy  revels  of  the  moon- 
lit nights.  The  play-goers  of  to-day  will  not  soon  forget  the 
actors  to  whom  they  owe  so  many  hours  of  pleasure,  and  they 
still  rejoice  as  they  observe  the  success  of  their  old  favorites 
achieved  in  other  cities — as  they  see  their  own  Hardenburg 
attain  distinction  in  the  home  of  fastidious  critics,  and  others 
who  in  times  gone  by  began  their  stage  experience  in  Provi- 
dence, take  prominent  positions  in  the  best  theatres  of  the 
metropolis,  and  hold  them  against  all  competitors.  They  need 
no  chronicler  to  revive  their  memories  of  Isabella  Andrews, 
that  charming  "  soubrette  ;  "  of  Varrey,  whose  dry  humor 
would  wring  laughter  from  a  cynic;  of  Frank  Drew,  whose 
Triplet  was  a  masterpiece  of  serio-comic  acting  ;  of  John 
Dunn,  the  funniest  of  low  comedians  ;  of  John  Drew  and  \V 
J.  Florence,  who  here  began  that  career  which  led  them  to 
eminence;  or  of  Forbes  himself,  the  high-minded  manager, 
and  staunch  friend,  whose  every  glance  was  a  benediction, 
and  whose  kind  acts  were  as  the  sands  of  the  sea,  number- 
less." 1 

1  Mr.  Forbes's  hatred  of  oppression  was   manifested   in   a   signal   instance  when 
after  his  induct  ion  into  the  managerial  chair  in  Providence,  1  Macready 

had  been  driven  from  the  Astor  Place  Opera   House  b;  Mr.  Forb 

dered  him  an  engagement,  from    no  expectation    ol    profit,  but  to    mark    his  di 
the  course  pursuea  by  the  instigators  of  the  riot,  and  his   sympathy  wi.h    M 
Although  Macready  declined  the  offer,  he   duly  appreciated  the  -onerous  spirit  in  which  it 
was  made. 

11 


l62  HISTORY    OF    THE 

While  we  may  not  linger  over  the  trivial,  fond  records  of 
their  lives,  or  yet  on  those  of  Prior,  of  the  Palmers,  of  Emma 
Taylor,  of  Georgiana  Kinlock,  of  Mrs.  Varrey,  or  of  the  hos- 
pitable, big-hearted  George  Sydney,  all  of  whom  have  passed 
away  from  earth,  we  can  not  thus  dismiss  the  name  of  Mrs. 
Forbes,  who,  too,  has  gone  to  her  long  rest,  mourned  by  the 
friends  of  her  heart,  and  lamented  also  by  those  who  knew  her 
only  as  an  artist.  In  her  public  capacity  she  was  admired  for 
her  conscientious  fidelity  to  every  duty,  for  perfectness  in  the 
text  of  the  parts  she  played,  and  for  unsurpassed  taste  in 
dressing  her  characters.  In  all  her  personations  she  was 
more  than  respectable,  in  some  admirable,  in  a  few  incompar- 
able ;  and  it  was  the  unvarying  testimony  of  all  the  stars, 
that  in  no  theatre  in  their  course  were  they  as  satisfactorily 
supported  by  any  other  leading  lady  as  by  Mrs.  Forbes.  Al- 
though after  several  years  the  public,  familiar  with  her  rendi- 
tions, might  have  sometimes  desired  other  performers  for  the 
sake  of  variety,  none  could  ever  characterize  her  as  incompe- 
tent in  any  part,  while  as  Widow  Cheerly,  as  Mrs.  Hallcr,  as 
Elizabeth  in  "Richard  III.,"  and  as  Helen  in  "The  Hunch- 
back," she  was  acknowledged  to  be  without  compeer.  In  the 
latter  character  the  frequenters  of  the  theatre  always  exulted 
in  her  great  success,  which  in  some  instances  has  made  the 
Julia  of  the  evening,  albeit  a  star  of  lustre,  carry  away  divided 
honors.  And  who  that  had  the  luck  to  see  can  forget  her 
Elinor  Mowbray,  played  so  beautifully  for  the  judicious  few, 
but  caviare  to  the  general.1 

In  the  summer  of  1857  a  dramatic  company,  under  the  di- 
rection of  George  H.  Griffith,  endeavored  to  maintain  vaude- 
ville performances  in  a  small  wooden  building  on  the  corner 
of  Pine  and  Orange  streets,  but  after  a  few  weeks  of  experi- 
ment the  doors  were  closed,  and  the  company  disbanded." 

1  Mrs.  Forbes's  professional  career  after  her  departure  was  observed  with  much  pleas- 
ure by  the  friends  she  left.  Proceeding  to  London,  she  appeared  as  a  "  star  "  at  the  Hay- 
market  Theatre,  then  under  the  management  of  J.  B.  Buckstone,  opening  as  Widow 
Cheerly  to  a  house  filled  almost  to  suffocation.  Her  success  was  decided  and  triumphant, 
and  she  was  pronounced  by  the  London  papers  the  most  meritorious  American  actress 
who  had  appeared  in  England  since  Charlotte  Cushman.  She  played  the  same  part  every 
night  of  her  first  week  applauded  to  the  echo  ;  and,  her  engagement,  wliich  could  not  be 
protracted  beyond  two  weeks  by  reason  of  arrangements  made  long  previous,  was  alike 
profitable  to  herself  and  to  the  management.  She  then  played  in  the  principal  provincial 
theatres  before  she  sailed  for  Australia.  During  her  residence  in  London,  she  and  Mr. 
Forbes  were  frequently  the  guests  of  Miss  Louisa  Pyne,  then  the  manager  of  Drury  Lane 
Theatre. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  63 

In  the  winter  of  1858  and  the  summer  of  1859,  a  small 
company,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  George  Wyatt,  per- 
formed on  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Dorrance  streets,  in  Swarts' 
Hall,  a  building  which  had  been  the  meeting-house  of  the 
Second  Baptist  Society,  from  whom  came  the  memorial  to  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  respecting  the  Dorrance  street  theatre, 
to  which  allusion  has  been  previously  made.  The  chief  at- 
tractions of  this  place  were  the  talents  of  the  Misses  Julia 
and  Helen  Wyatt,  young  girls  whose  precocious  ability  and 
pleasing  manners  made  them  general  favorites. 

This  hall,  altered  into  a  theatre,  and  called  the  Pine  Street 
Theatre,  was  opened  Sept.  5,  1859,  with  "The  Soldier  of 
France"  and  "Married  Life,"  under  the  management  of  E. 
Varreyand  W.  A.  Arnold,  both  well  known  to  the  habitues 
of  the  Museum  and  of  Forbes's  theatre.  This  establishment 
was  so  unfortunately  situated  and  so  inconveniently  arranged 
that  the  enterprise  soon  proved  so  unprofitable  that  Messrs. 
Varrey  and  Arnold  surrendered  their  lease.  The  company 
was,  however,  kept  together,  and  performances  were  given 
during  the  winter  months  by  the  actors,  under  the  direction 
of  Messrs.  Johnston  and  Petrie,  the  principal  performers. 
Upon  the  stage  of  this  theatre  Maggie  Mitchell,  Fanny  Her- 
ring, George  Jamieson,  Cordelia  Howard  with  her  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Wallack,  J.  W.  Booth,  and  C.  W.  Coul- 
dock  played  star  engagements.  The  stock  company,  though 
limited  in  numbers,  was  respectable  for  talent  and  character, 
embracing,  besides  Mr.  Varrey,  Robert  Johnston,  Petrie,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Marden,  Mary  Mitchell,  H.  Linden,  Mrs.  Warden, 
Miss  Gillett,  and  several  others  of  lesser  note.  The  audi- 
ences decreased  until  at  length  the  receipts  became  too  small 
to  pay  for  necessary  fuel,  and  then  the  Pine  Street  Theatre 
was  closed. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

1860-1864. 

Name  of  Pine  Street  Theatre  changed— Sketch  of  Adah  Isaacs 
Menken— Closing  of  the  Providence  Theatre— Opening  of  the 
Academy  of  Music— Sketch  of  Charlotte  Cushman— Sketch  of 
Senora  Isabel  Cub  as— Sketches  of  Lucille  and  Helen  West- 
ern—Davenport and  Wallace— Sketch  of  J.  Wilkes  Booth— 
"Vestvali,  the  Magnificent"— Messrs.  Tompkins  &  Thayer 
lease  the  Academy. 

THE  Pine  Street  Theatre  closed  Tuesday  evening,  Jan. 
3,  i860,  with  "Rob  Roy"  and  "Santa  Claus."  It 
was,  however,  reopened  March  19,  i860,  by  the  Cooper 
English  Opera  troupe,  with  the  "  Barber  of  Seville,"  Annie 
Milner  being  the  prima  donna.  Myers  and  Boniface  took  the 
management  March  28th,  and  ran  the  "  Octoroon  "  for  a  few 
nights.  April  9th,  Adah  Isaacs  Menken  came  for  four  nights 
in  the  "French  Spy."  This  lady  had  a  checkered  career. 
She  was  born  in  a  small  village  near  New  Orleans,  La.,  June 
15,  1835.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  seven  years  of  age, 
and  Adah  and  her  sister  made  their  debut  as  dansenses  at  the 
French  Opera  House,  New  Orleans,  with  great  success.  Dur- 
ing her  career  as  a  danseusc,  Adah  mastered  the  French  and 
Spanish  languages.  She  remained  at  the  opera  house,  New 
Orleans,  then  joined  the  Monplaisir  troupe,  visiting  Havana, 
and  became  a  great  favorite  with  the  habitue's.  She  was 
called  the  "  Queen  of  the  Piazza."  She  next  visited  Texas 
and  Mexico,  and  played  a  brilliant  engagement  at  the  lead- 
ing opera  house  in  Mexico.  Returning  to  New  Orleans, 
she  retired  from  the  stage  and  published  a  volume  of  poems 
called  Memories,  under  the  signature  of  "  Indizina."  While 
in  Galveston,  in  1856,  she  married  Alexander  Isaacs  Men- 
ken, a  musician.  She  then  made  her  debut  at  the  Vari- 
eties Theatre,  New  Orleans,  in  "  Fazio/'  during  the  season 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 65 

of  1858.  She  soon  left  the  stage  again  and  studied  sculpt- 
ure in  Columbus,  Ohio.  On  the  3d  of  April,  1859,  she  was 
married  to  John  C.  Heenan,  from  whom  she  was  divorced  by 
an  Indiana  court  in  1862.  She  went  back  to  the  stage,  play- 
ing in  New  York  and  then  through  the  south  and  west.  In 
October,  1861,  she  was  married  to  Robert  H.  Newell  (known 
in  the  literary  world  as  "  Orpheus  C.  Kerr"),  and  on  July  13, 
1863,  she  sailed  for  California,  accompanied  by  Orpheus. 
After  playing  to  magnificent  houses  in  California,  she  sailed 
for  England  April  22,  1864,  where  she  also  played.  She 
was  divorced  from  Mr.  Newell  in  October,  1865.  Re- 
turned to  America  in  1866,  and  played  in  New  York,  then 
through  the  West.  On  the  21st  of  August,  1866,  she  was 
married  to  James  Barclay  in  New  York.  She  then  made 
another  trip  to  Europe,  playing  engagements  both  in  Eng- 
land and  France.  On  Monday,  Aug.  10,  1868,  she  died  in 
Paris. 

The  theatre  was  rechristened  as  the  Providence  Theatre,  and 
on  Oct.  7,  1 86 1,  was  opened  by  J.  C.  Myers  with  the  "  Siege 
of  Manassas."  During  his  management  he  had  as  stars  J. 
Wilkes  Booth,  Joseph  Proctor,  S.  W.  Glenn,  and  Lucille 
Western.  The  final  closing  was  on  July  4,  1862,  R.  E.  J. 
Miles  being  the  last  star  to  appear  there. 

Upon  the  ruins  of  Forbes's  Theatre  a  new  structure  arose, 
bearing  the  name  of  "  Phenix  Building,"  in  which  there  was  a 
capacious  hall,  provided  with  a  stage  and  some  of  the  appli- 
ances of  a  theatre.  This  was  called  the  Academy  of  Music, 
and  it  continued  in  existence  for  nearly  twenty  years,  much 
of  the  time  being  the  principal  theatre  in  the  city.  It  was 
long  and  narrow,  had  only  a  parquette  and  gallery,  and  the 
entrance  was  up  two  flights  of  stairs.  If  there  had  ever  been 
a  fire,  or  anything  to  create  a  panic,  while  a  performance  was 
being  given  there,  loss  of  life  would  have  almost  certainly 
resulted. 

Upon  this  stage  in  1861,  several  dramatic  companies  ap 
peared,  the  large  majority  of  them  under  the  managemenl  ol 
either  A.  Macfarland  or  J.  C.  Myers.  Among  the  most  not- 
able was  Charlotte  Cushman,  who  came  June  3d  and  remained 
for  five  nights.  She  had  in  her  support  Messrs  John  Gil- 
bert, J.  B.  Studley,  and  others,  and  during  her  engagement 
she  appeared  in  "  Henry  VIII.,"  and  also  impersonated  Romeo 


1 66  HISTORY    OF    THE 

to  the  Juliet  of  Viola  Crocker,  Portia,  in  the  "Merchant  of 
Venice,"  and  Meg  Merrilies. 

This  estimable  lady  and  great  artist  was  born  in  Boston  in 
1 8 14,  of  old  Puritan  stock.  After  she  had  left  school,  and 
having  a  good  voice,  she  resolved  to  make  her  appearance  as 
a  public  singer.  Having  received  thorough  instruction  from 
the  best  masters,  she  made  her  first  appearance  in  public  at  a 
social  concert  given  in  Boston  at  No.  1  Franklin  avenue, 
March  25,  1830.  During  Mrs.  Joseph  Wood's  engagement  in 
Boston,  Miss  Cushman  sang  at  one  of  her  concerts.  Mrs. 
Wood  was  so  pleased  with  her  voice — which  was  a  fine  con- 
tralto— that  she  advised  her  to  turn  her  attention  to  singing 
on  the  stage,  and  Mr.  Meader,  the  husband  of  Clara  Fisher, 
brought  her  out  as  the  Countess  of  Almaviva,  in  "  The  Mar- 
riage of  Figaro,"  at  the  Tremont  Theatre,  Boston,  April  8, 
1835.  This  was  her  first  appearance.  She  shortly  after- 
wards sailed  for  New  Orleans,  where  she  came  very  near 
losing  her  voice,  having  seriously  impaired  it  by  trying  to 
force  it  up  to  the  soprano  register.  This  was  the  cause  of 
her  taking  to  the  stage,  and  becoming  one  of  the  greatest 
actresses  that  ever  walked  the  boards  of  any  theatre  in  this 
country.  Her  next  appearance  was  at  the  Bowery  Theatre, 
New  York,  in  1836,  as  Lady  Macbeth.  From  the  Bowery  she 
went  to  the  Park,  where  she  became  the  leading  actress.  She 
next  visited  Philadelphia,  and  made  her  first  appearance  at  the 
opening  of  the  National  Theatre,  Aug.  31,  1840,  as  Lady  L^an- 
guish.  Before  her  talent  could  be  recognized  at  home,  she  was 
obliged  to  visit  Europe,  where  she  found  critics  to  acknowl- 
edge her  as  one  of  the  greatest  artistes  of  the  day.  In  1844 
she  sailed  for  Europe.  On  the  13th  of  February,  1845,  she 
made  her  debut  at  the  Princess  Theatre,  London,  as  Bianca, 
in  "  Fazio."  She  was  supported  by  Mr.  Macready.  After 
three  or  four  years'  residence  abroad  she  returned  to  her  native 
land,  and  made  her  first  appearance  at  the  Broadway  Theatre, 
New  York,  Oct.  8,  1849,  as  Mrs.  Haller.  In  1852  she  played 
a  farewell  engagement  throughout  the  States,  and  returned  to 
Europe  again  ;  after  a  sojourn  there  of  five  years,  she  returned 
to  the  United  States,  and  made  her  appearance  at  Burton's 
Theatre,  New  York,  Sept.  28,  1857,  as  Bianca.  She  made 
her  appearance  in  Philadelphia,  May  21,  1858,  at  the  Arch 
Street   Theatre,  as    Mrs.  Haller.     On   the    16th  of  August, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 67 

1850,  she  played  at  Liverpool,  and,  on  the  30th  of  the  same 
month  appeared  at  Niblo's  Garden,  New  York — just  two 
weeks  after  her  performance  three  thousand  miles  away.  On 
the  7th  of  July,  1858,  she  sailed  from  New  York  in  the  steam- 
ship Persia,  for  Europe,  and,  after  an  absence  of  two  years, 
returned  to  New  York,  and,  during  the  month  of  September, 
i860,  made  her  debut  at  the  Winter  Garden.  For  the  benefit 
of  the  Sanitary  Committee,  on  the  17th  of  October,  1863,  she 
played  Macbeth  at  Grover's  Theatre,  Washington,  to  an  over- 
flowing house.  She  crossed  the  ocean  sixteen  times  ;  she 
"  retired  "  from  the  stage  almost  as  many  times.  She  spent 
many  years  in  Rome.  In  1871  she  began  her  dramatic  read- 
ings, which  were  highly  successful.  Her  final  farewells  to  the 
stage  were  undertaken  in  1875,  and  the  great  ovation  at 
Booth's  Theatre,  with  the  ode  by  Stoddard  and  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  laurel  by  William  Cullen  Bryant,  was  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  events  in  stage  history.  She  died  at  the  Par- 
ker House,  in  Boston,  Feb.  18,  1876,  aged  sixty.  With  all 
her  genius,  she  possessed  enough  Yankee  thrift  to  accumu- 
late her  earnings,  and  died  worth  $600,000.  She  was  buried 
at  Mt.  Auburn. 

Another  notable  engagement  that  season  was  that  of  Senora 
Isabel  Cubas,  the  Spanish  dancer,  who  attracted  a  crowded 
house. 

Isabel  Cubas  was  born  in  Cadiz  in  183 1.  At  thirteen  years 
of  age  she  was  engaged  as  a  solo  dancer  in  Madrid,  and,  after 
dancing  in  some  of  the  first  theatres  in  Spain,  she  returned 
to  Madrid,  where  she  remained  two  years,  After  dancing 
at  all  the  principal  opera  houses  in  the  Old  World,  she  visited 
America  in  May,  1861,  and  made  her  debut  in  Canada.  She 
danced  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  then  started  on  a 
starring  tour,  assisted  by  a  full  ballet  corps,  and  played  in  all 
the  principal  theatres  of  the  country.  Died  in  Nev»  York, 
June  20,  1864,  and  was  buried  in  Greenwood.  She  was  mar- 
ried to  a  Mr.  Blasco,  and  left  one  beautiful  daughter  behind, 
about  six  years  of  age. 

The  only  other  prominent  organization  that  appealed  that 
year  was  an  Italian  Opera  Company,  which  presented  the 
"Barber  of  Seville,"  with  Sig.  Brignoli  and  Isabella  Hinckley 
in  the  leading  roles. 

The  elder  Hermann  was  the  first   attraction   at  this  house 


l68  HISTORY    OF    THE 

in  1862.  He  gave  exhibitions  of  legerdemain  for  three  nights 
beginning  January  13th.  J.  C.  Myers  had  a  benefit  February 
3d.  H.  C.  Jarrett  brought  an  excellent  dramatic  company 
March  4th  and  5th.  It  included  E.  L.  Davenport,  J.  W. 
Wallack,  William  Wheatley,  Julia  Bennett  Barrow,  Mrs. 
Wallack  and  John  E.  Owens.  The  plays  were  "  Hamlet " 
and  "The  Stranger."  Lucille  Western  played  Camille  on 
the  evening  of  March  7th. 

Lucille  and  Helen  Western  were  born  in  New  Orleans, 
La.,  in  1843  ar>d  ^44  respectively.  Their  father  (in  the  to- 
bacco business),  removed  to  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died 
in  1859;  their  mother  subsequently  married  William  B.  Eng- 
lish, the  once  popular  theatrical  manager,  which  may  account 
for  their  adopting  the  stage  as  a  profession.  Their  careers 
were  very  closely  identified  until  the  death  of  Helen,  in  1868,. 
when  the  best  days  of  Lucille  may  be  said  to  have  begun. 
For  several  seasons,  about  1855,  the  two  sisters  appeared 
under  their  step-father's  management  in  the  larger  New  Eng- 
land towns  in  small  parts,  and  were  known  as  "  The  Star 
Sisters,"  their  principal  piece  being  "  The  Three  Fast  Men." 

Lucille,  in  after  years,  became  the  well  known  exponent 
of  emotional  dramas  like  "East  Lynne"  and  "The  Child 
Stealer."  During  the  war  she  travelled  with  the  Davenport- 
Wallack  Combination,  playing  Nancy  Sykes,  in  "  Oliver 
Twist  "  to  Davenport's  Bill  and  J.  W.  Wallack's  Fagin.  She 
died  in  Philadelphia,  Jan.  11,  1877,  while  playing  a  star  en- 
gagement in  the  Walnut  Street  Theatre.  She  was  the  wife 
of  James  H.  Meade.  Her  first  great  hit  was  in  the  dual  role 
in  "  East  Lynne,"  as  dramatized  by  Clifton  W.  Tayleure,  a 
part  which  she  at  first  refused  to  even  rehearse.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  it  afterwards  brought  her  over  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion of  dollars,  all  of  which  was  frittered  away  by  others.  Her 
life  was  one  of  incessant  toil,  without  fruition.  Had  her 
great  powers  been  properly  directed,  far  different  would  have 
been  her  record. 

May  2 1  st  and  22d,  Davenport  and  Wallack  returned  and 
presented  "  The  School  for  Scandal."  The  Journal,  on  the 
following  day,  said  it  was  the  finest  cast  ever  seen  here.  July 
10th,  nth  and  12th  the  Boston  Museum  Company  gave  the 
operatta  "The  Doctor  of  Alcantara,"  with  L.  Mesteyer,  George 
Ketchum,  Henry  Peakes,  Emily  Mesteyer,  Josie   Orton  and 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  69 

others  in  the  cast.  August  22c],  E.  L.  Davenport,  E.  L. 
Tilton,  A.  W.  Fenno,  Charles  Barron  and  others  appeared  in 
"  Damon  and  Pythias."  The  Ravel  troupe  played  two  engage- 
ments within  a  few  weeks.  W.  J.  Florence  and  wife  came 
October  13th,  14th  and  15th,  and  the  manager  announced 
that  new  United  States  currency  would  be  given  in  change. 
J.  C.  Myers  took  the  management  of  the  house  October  20th 
and  held  it  until  the  24th  of  March,  1863.  His  stock  com- 
pany included  Georgianna  Anna  Reynolds,  Rebecca  Adams, 
Lottie  Howland,  Fannie  Marsh,  Emma  Leone,  Mrs.  D. 
Nourse,  Louisa  Morse,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Browne,  Mrs.  J.  Dunn,  E. 
W.  Beattie,  B.  Fuller,  D.  Nourse,  Harry  Howland,  J.  H. 
Browne,  J.  Dunn,  C.  Fredericks,  J.  Keefe,  W.  D.  Crolins,  C. 
Rogers,  W.  H.  Preston,  and  J.  Holmes.  During  this  manage- 
ment the  stars  were  Alice  Placide,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Wil- 
liams, Matilda  Heron,  J.  H.  Hackett,  Maggie  Mitchell,  Laura 
Keene,  and  John  E.  Owens,  and  the  Holman  Opera  Company 
also  came. 

The  theatre  was  occupied  most  of  the  time  in  1863.  As 
stated  above,  Mr.  Myers's  management  continued  until  March 
24th.  He  also  brought  companies  here  after  that  date 
at  frequent  intervals.  The  Wallack-Davenport  combination 
came  for  one  week,  beginning  April  6th,  and  their  almost 
perfect  performances  are  still  remembered  with  pleasure  by  a 
large  number  of  our  citizens.  Among  the  other  notable  en- 
gagements were  those  of  Peter  and  Caroline  Richings,  Kate 
Reignolds,  supported  by  Stuart  Robson  and  Owen  Marlowe, 
Laura  Keene,  William  Warren,  Jane  Coombs,  J.  Wilkes 
Booth,  October  15th,  16th,  17th,  and  Mrs.  Barrow. 

Booth  was  at  this  time  twenty-five  years  old,  and  as  hand- 
some a  man  as  ever  graced  the  stage.  He  retired  from  the 
profession  soon  after  this  and  speculated  in  oil.  Nov.  23, 
1864,  he,  with  his  brothers,  Edwin  and  Junius  Brutus, 
played  "  Julius  Caesar,"  at  the  Winter  Garden  in  New  York. 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Shakspeare  monument  fund.  1 1  is  last 
appearance  as  an  actor  on  the  mimic  stage  was  at  Ford's 
Theatre  in  Washington,  where  he  played  Pescara  tor  John 
McCullough's  benefit.  April  14,  1865,  in  the  same  theatre, 
while  the  third  act  of  "Our  American  Cousin"  was  being 
performed,  he  shot  Abraham  Lincoln,  president  of  the  United 
States,   through    the    head,   inflicting    a    fatal    wound.     The 


I70  HISTORY    OF    THE 

assassin  jumped  from  the  private  box  in  which  the  presiden- 
tial party  were  seated,  to  the  stage,  brandishing  a  dagger 
and  shouting  sic  semper  tyrannis,  fled  to  the  door,  mounted 
a  horse  and  rode  away.  On  the  26th  he  was  discovered  armed 
to  the  teeth,  in  a  barn,  near  Bowling  Green,  and  bidding  the 
world  defiance.  He  was  shot  and  killed  by  Boston  Corbett. 
He  was  at  first  secretly  buried  at  midnight,  under  the  flag-stones 
of  the  arsenal  warehouse  in  Washington  ;  but,  in  February, 
1869,  by  permission  of  the  government,  the  remains  were  dis- 
interred by  the  relatives,  and  now  rest  near  those  of  his 
father,  in  the  cemetery  at  Baltimore.  This  terrible  deed  is  the 
more  remarkable  from  the  rarity  of  criminals  among  the 
dramatic  profession. 

The  Davenport-Wallack  company  returned  again  Novem- 
ber 13th,  and  Mrs.  Barrow  also  played  an  engagement  from 
December  14th  to  the  19th. 

The  following  year,  1864,  was  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
the  Academy  had  ever  known.  Mr.  A.  Jantz  had  engaged 
an  Italian  opera  company  to  appear  on  the  evening  of  the  1st 
of  February  at  an  expense  of  $3,000,  but  the  subscriptions 
not  warranting  the  expense,  the  engagement  was  given  up. 
Among  the  dramatic  stars  who  appeared  that  year  were 
Harry  Watkins,  J.  B.  Roberts,  Yankee  Locke,  Ettie  Hen- 
derson (wife  of  William  Henderson,  the  first  manager  of  the 
Providence  Opera  House),  "Vestvali,  the  Magnificent,"  H. 
G.  Clarke,  John  Murray,  McKean  Buchanan,  Mrs.  D.  P. 
Bowers,  William  Warren,  with  Josie  Orton  and  Charles 
Baum.  The  Davenport-Wallack  company  also  came,  with 
Rose  Eytinge,  and  delighted  large  audiences  with  "  Still 
Waters  Run  Deep  " 

One  of  the  most  notable  events  of  the  year  was  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  German  opera  company,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Leonard  Grover.  In  this  company  were  Karl 
Formes,  Marie  Frederici,  Johannsen,  Herrmann  and  Habel- 
man.  The  operas  presented  were  "  Faust,"  "  Don  Juan  "  and 
"  Robert  le  Diable."  The  American  Band  appeared  in  the 
first  opera,  and  created  quite  a  sensation.  The  houses  were 
crowded  during  this  engagement,  and  the  general  opinion 
was  that  it  was  the  best  opera  company  that  had  ever  visited 
Providence  up  to  that  time.  It  returned  October  29th,  and 
presented  "  The  Jewess." 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  7  I 

Another  important  engagement  of  this  season  was  that  of 
"  Yestvali,  the  Magnificent,"  who  came  March  7th  and  8th. 
I  have  asked  at  least  a  score  of  theatre-goers  of  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  years  ago  if  they  remembered  her,  and  in  every 
case  the  reply  has  been  in  the  negative  ;  and  yet  she  created 
a  profound  sensation  at  the  time,  as  the  following  notice  from 
the  Providence  Journal  of  March  8,  1864,  will  testify  : 

"The  Academy  of  Music  seldom,  if  ever,  contained  such 
an  audience  as  crowded  its  orchestra,  parquet  and  gallery 
last  night,  and  never  before  was  anything  presented  on  its 
boards  so  near  the  sublime  as  Mile.  Vestvali,  in  her  character 
of  Gamec,  the  Jewish  mother.  If  the  audience  was  unde- 
monstrative and  tame  in  their  manifestations  of  approval  of  the 
impassioned  periods,  they  must  be  excused,  for  they  were 
spell-bound  and  feared  lest  they  should  lose  the  lightest  tone 
or  miss  the  simplest  expression  of  that  most  queenly,  superb, 
and  powerful  actress.  Vestvali  was  truly  "the  magnificent." 
She  dressed,  looked,  acted  and  almost  lived  her  nice  and  ac- 
curate conception  of  the  part.  Every  tone  had  its  proper 
modulation,  every  gesture  its  fittest  expression,  every  glance 
of  her  eye  was  a  faithful  mirror  of  thought,  and  every  smile 
or  frown  told  its  tale  of  joy  or  bitterness." 

Felicita  Vestvali  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula,  in 
Cracow,  on  Feb.  23,  1839.  Her  father  was  the  Governor  of 
Cracow.  At  the  age  of  twelve  she  spoke  six  languages, 
understood  most  of  the  ancient  as  well  as  modern  poets  of 
Europe,  and  played  upon  several  instruments.  Came  to  this 
country  in  May,  1855,  and,  after  great  success,  returned  to 
Europe  in  June,  1867. 

Messrs.  Tompkins  and  Thayer,  of  the  Boston  Theatre,  1< 
the  Academy  in  October,  1864,  and  managed   it   for  the  suc- 
ceeding five  years. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

1865-1866. 

Opening  of  the  City  Hall— Mlle.  Parepa— Wallack-Davenport 
Combination— Fikst  Visit  of  Agnes  Perry— Sketch  of  this  pop- 
ular Artiste  — Sketch  of  Fanny  Davenport  — Clara  Louise 
Kellogg's  Appearance— Parepa,  Brignoli,  and  Ferkanti— Bos- 
ton Theatre  Company  in  "Streets  of  New  York"— Almost  a 
Riot— Sketch  of  Adelaide  Ristori— Sketch  of  John  Brougham- 
Sketch  of  Lotta. 

FOR  a  year  or  two  the  Academy  of  Music  had  had  prac- 
tically no  opposition,  especially  in  the  way  of  dramatic 
entertainments,  because  there  was  no  other  hall  in  the 
city  fitted  up  with  scenery  and  the  other  appliances  of  a 
theatre.  On  the  4th  of  January,  1865,  the  City  Hall,  built 
upon  the  site  of  the  present  City  Hall,  was  opened.  It  was 
built  by  Messrs.  Charles  N.  Harrington  and  R.  M.  Larned. 
Mr.  Harrington  had  had  considerable  experience  as  a  stage 
carpenter  in  Mr.  Forbes's  theatre,  and  he  made  good  use  of 
his  knowledge  in  his  new  venture.  Mayor  Doyle  made  a 
pleasant  address  at  the  opening,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
programme  consisted  of  a  concert  by  the  American  Band, 
with  the  late  Addie  Ryan,  of  Boston,  as  soloist. 

The  entertainments  given  in  this  house  during  the  first 
year  of  its  existence  consisted  of  a  lecture  by  Artemus  Ward, 
Chadwick  &  Webb's  minstrels,  concert  by  Richard  Cooper, 
the  boy  soprano,  American  Band  concert,  Norwood,  the  Fakir,. 
Chase  &  Newcomb's  minstrels,  Cotton  &  Murphy's  minstrels, 
lecture  by  Anna  Dickinson,  Duprez  &  Greene's  minstrels, 
Newcomb's  minstrels,  Allyne,  the  wizard,  Chrysty's  minstrels, 
lecture  by  Josh  Billings,  Tony  Pastor's  troupe,  Bryant's  min- 
strels, concert  by  Mile.  Parepa,  Herrmann,  Morris  Bros., 
Pell  &  Trowbridge's  minstrels,  Hagar's  Allegory  of  the  Re- 
bellion, and  a  concert  by  Blind  Tom. 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  I  73 

We  give  this  list  principally  to  show  what  a  large  number 
of  minstrel  companies  came  to  the  city  that  year.  Many  of 
the  same  companies  also  came  to  the  Academy  of  Music 
that  year,  either  before  or  after  they  had  appeared  in  City 
Hall,  and  there  were  also  others  not  mentioned  in  the  above 
list,  among  them  Cal.  Wagner's. 

The  principal  entertainments  of  a  dramatic  and  musical 
character,  given  in  the  Academy  of  Music  in  1865,  were  as 
follows  ;  Jan.  16,  one  week,  Mrs.  D.  P.  Bowers  ;  Feb.  20, 
21,  22,  Laura  Keene,  in  "  Our  American  Cousin  ;"  April  25, 
26,  Wallack-Davenport  combination  in  "  Still  Waters  Run 
Deep;  May  6,  Wm.  Warren  combination;  July  11  to  21, 
McKean  Buchanan,  in  "Richelieu,"  etc.;  Aug.  9,  10,  Emilie 
Melville  in  "  Fanchon  "  and  "Hidden  Hand;"  Aug.  21, 
engagement  of  Helen  Western  for  one  week,  in  "  French 
Spy"  and  "  St.  Marc  ;  "  and  of  R.  S.  Meldrum  for  one  week 
in  "Streets  of  New  York;"  Sept.  14,  15,  16,  Italian  opera, 
with  Sig.  Susini,  in  "  Ernani,"  "  Norma"  and  "  Faust."  Sept. 
21,  Joseph  Proctor,  in  "Nick  of  the  Woods  ;  "  Sept.  28,  29, 
30,  "  Arrah  Na  Pogue,"  with  first  visit  to  this  city  of  Agnes 
Perry  (now  Agnes  Booth  Schoeffel  ;)  Nov.  0,  7,  8,  9,  Edwin 
Forrest  in  "Richelieu,"  "Hamlet"  and  "  King  Lear,"  sup 
ported  by  John  McCullough,  J.  W7.  Collier  and  Agnes  Perry  ; 
Nov.  30,  H.  C.  Jarrett's  combination,  when  Fanny  Daven- 
port made  her  first  appearance  in  Providence  ;  Dec.  23,  The- 
atre Francais  from  New  York. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  this  year  was  marked  by  the  appeal 
ance  here  of  two  actresses  who  have  since  become  very  prom 
inent,  namely :   Agnes  Perry  and  Fanny  Davenport.     Agnes 
Perry,    uce   Agnes    Land    Rookes,    was    burn    in    Australia 
about  1843,  ancl  witn  ncr  sister  Belle,  arrived  at   San    Fran- 
cisco in  1858,  and  shortly  after  her  arrival  she  married  Harr) 
Perry,    a   very    able    actor,    but     "too  jovial"     fellow,    with 
whom  she  remained  in  San  Francisco  till  [861,  when  he  died. 
She  shortly  afterwards  came  East  and  immediately  was  recog- 
nized as  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude.     About    [866,  while 
playing  in  New  York,  she  was  married  to  Junius  Brutus  Booth, 
and  after  that  acted  in  a  desultory  way  in  New    York  till  Ml 
Booth's  death.     He  left  her  his  entire  fortune,  near $200,000. 
After  a  widowhood  of  one  year  she  was  married  to  Mi    John 
Schoeffel,  manager  of  the  Tremont  Theatre   in    Boston,  and 


174  HISTORY     OF    THE 

partner  with  Mr.  Henry  E.  Abbey.  Mrs.  Schoeffel  still  re- 
tains her  stage  name  of  Agnes  Booth,  and  could  easily  retire 
from  the  stage  if  she  chose  to  do  so,  but  she  occupies  to-day 
the  proud  position  of  being  a  great  public  favorite — a  place 
hard  to  abandon. 

Fanny  Davenport  was  born  in  London,  in  1850,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  the  late  E.  L.  Davenport.  Her  first  appearance 
was  as  a  child  in  the  Howard  Athenaeum,  Boston.  She  first 
appeared  in  New  York  at  Niblo's,  in  1862,  but  never  created 
much  of  a  sensation  till,  under  Daly's  fostering  care,  she 
blossomed  forth  into  an  emotional  actress.  Her  first  import- 
ant part  was  as  the  sentimental  heroine  in  T.  W.  Robert- 
son's "Play,"  which  she 'performed  during  the  illness  of 
Agnes  Ethel,  and  soon  after  succeeded  to  that  lady's  position 
in  the  company.  A  very  beautiful  woman,  an  actress  inherit- 
ing from  both  father  and  mother  much  dramatic  talent,  she  is 
one  of  the  most  popular  stars  of  the  day,  playing  a  wide 
range  of  parts.  She  is,  in  fact,  the  most  versatile  of  all  the 
star  actresses  in  the  country.  She  is  married  to  Mr.  Mel- 
bourne McDowell. 

Maggie  Mitchell  was  the  first  dramatic  star  to  come  to  the 
City  Hall  in  1866.  Her  nights  were  Feb.  5  and  6,  and  the 
house  was  crowded  on  both  occasions.  Feb.  19,  E.  W.  Mar- 
ston  was  seen  there  in  "  Ten  Nights  in  a  Bar  Room."  Oct. 
2,  Parepa,  Brignoli,  J.  L.  Hatton,  Carl  Rosa  and  S.  B.  Mills 
gave  a  concert  which  was  fully  attended  by  the  fashionable 
people  of  the  city.  Nov.  9,  10,  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  with 
Fanny  Stockton,  Sig.  Bellini,  etc.,  sang  to  crowded  houses. 
Nov.  24,  Hagar's  Allegory  was  given,  Nov.  30.  Parepa,  Brig- 
noli and  Ferranti  appeared  in  concert,  and  Dec.  1  r,  Howard 
Paul  and  wife  were  seen  in  "  Dream  of  the  Reveller."  The 
remainder  of  the  time  at  this  hall  that  year  was  occupied  by 
lecturers  in  the  Franklin  Lyceum  and  Mechanics'  courses, 
and  by  minstrel  entertainments,  the  latter  being  nearly  as 
numerous  as  in  the  preceding  year. 

At  the  Academy  of  Music  1866  was  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous years  it  had  ever  known.  It  was  an  important  year, 
not  only  on  account  of  the  very  large  number  of  excellent 
stars  and  dramatic  companies  appearing  there,  but  also  on 
account  of  a  disturbance,  amounting  almost  to  a  riot,  growing 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  75 

out  of  a  performance  given  there  April  13th,  which  will  be 
referred  to  a  little  later  in  this  chapter. 

January  1st,  the  Winslow  &  Co.  combination  began  a 
week's  engagement  with  Sam  Hemple  as  the  star  ;  January 
1 6th,  the  Boston  Theatre  Company  began  an  engagement  of 
two  weeks,  playing  the  "  Streets  of  New  York,"  with  Frank 
Mayo  as  Badger,  and  Charles  T.  Parsloe  as  the  Bootblack; 
February  16th,  the  Boston  Theatre  Company  came  again  for 
two  nights,  with  Frank  Mayo,  Louis  Aldrich  and  others  in 
the  "  Robbers  of  the  Forest  of  Bohemia."  February  20th, 
2 1  st,  came  an  English  Opera  Company  with  the  "  Bohemian 
Girl,"  Harry  Peakes  as  DevilsJioof,  and  Mrs.  William  Gomer- 
sal  as  Arline.  March  $th,  Lotta  appeared  here  for  the  first 
time,  with  Frank  Hardenberg  and  W.  J.  LeMoyne  in  support. 
March  12th,  13th,  T.  M.  Tyrrell  had  a  benefit.  March  14th, 
15th,  16th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Williams  appeared.  The 
Hanlon  Brothers  came  the  19th  and  20th.  Barber's  Dra- 
matic Company  played  the  "Hidden  Hand  "  the  29th.  April 
2d,  Robert  Heller  gave  his  delightful  performances  in  magic, 
adding  to  them  his  skillful  piano  playing,  which  was  the  talk 
of  the  town.  April  9th,  10th,  nth,  Laura  Keene  came. 
April  13th,  J.  H.  Hackett  came,  with  William  F.  Burroughs 
in  the  cast.  This  was  the  performance  referred  to  above. 
The  Providence  Journal,  the  next  morning,  had  the  following 
account  of  it : 

"  Once  more  a  large  and  respectable  audience  has  been 
treated  in  a  very  shabby  and  dishonest  manner  by  the  '  Star 
Company  from  Winter  Garden,'  New  York,  under  the  man- 
agement, as  the  bills  announced,  of  William  Stuart,  of  Win- 
ter Garden,  New  York,  and  C.  W.  Tayleure,  of  the  Broadway 
Theatre,  N.  Y.  Instead  of  presenting  Shakspeare's  immor- 
tal comedy,  in  five  acts,  called  the  '  Merry  Wives  of  Wind- 
sor,' as  was  promised,  the  play  was  so  cut  and  mutilated  that 
Shakspeare  would  have  disowned  and  repudiated  it,  as  the 
audience  did  last  night.  As  was  the  case  some  time  since, 
when  the  same  company  pretended  to  bring  out  '  Arrah  na 
Pogue,'  the  management  was  resolved  to  have  the  actors' 
wardrobes,  properties  and  appurtenances  on  board  the  ten 
o'clock  train  to  New  York.  In  consequence  of  that  deter- 
mination, the  performance  commenced  before  scarcely  any  of 
the  people  who  had  secured  seats  had  arrived,  and   the  play 


I76  HISTORY     OF    THE 

was  slashed  and  mutilated  until  it  was  finally  brought  to  an 
ignominious  end  soon  after  nine  o'clock,  the  last  act,  or  so 
much  of  it  as  was  recited  by  the  actors,  being  entirely  inau- 
dible, because  of  the  storm  of  disapprobation  that  was  kept 
up  in  all  parts  of  the  house.  When  the  curtain  dropped,  a 
rush  was  made  for  the  depot,  and  the  '  Star  Company  from  the 
Winter  Garden  '  took  their  departure  from  Providence,  amid 
the  hootings  and  groanings  of  500  exasperated  and  disgusted 
people.  There  was  no  actual  violence  that  we  hear  of,  but  a 
serious  breach  of  the  peace  was  at  one  time  imminent." 

April  16th,  Helen  Western  came  in  the  "  Corsican  Broth- 
ers," and  "Satan  in  Paris  ;"  April  20th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gomer- 
sal ;  26th,  E.  L.  Davenport  as  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  in  "  A 
New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts,"  the  play  in  which  he  first  made 
his  appearance  upon  the  stage  as  Willdo.  May  7th,  E.  T. 
Stetson  appeared  in  the  "Marble  Heart;"  14th,  John  E. 
Owens  as  Solon  Shingle;  16th,  Lucille  Western  in  "East 
Lynne  ;  "  25th,  E.  L.  Davenport  and  Lucille  Western,  for  the 
benefit  of  George  K.  Goodwin  ;  25th,  first  appearance  of  W. 
C.  Forbes,  after  an  absence  of  eight  years,"  as  Master  Wal- 
ter in  "The  Hunchback."  A  cordial  greeting  was  given  to 
him  by  his  old  friends  and  admirers,  who  filled  the  house. 
June  4th,  5th,  Rose  Eytinge  came  in  "  Miriam's  Crime,"  and 
had  among  her  support  W.  F.  Burroughs,  James  Duff,  and 
W.  A.  Donaldson;  June  nth,  Maggie  Mitchell;  18th,  19th, 
20th,  Anderson,  the  Wizard  ;  21st,  22d,  23d,  the  Naddi  Opera 
Company  ;  July  4th,  W.  C.  Forbes  Dramatic  Company  ;  10th, 
Benefit  of  Portland  Sufferers,  W.  C.  Forbes,  Frank  Drew, 
Madame  Andrieu,  and  Mrs.  M.  W.  Fish  being  among  the  vol- 
unteers ;  23d,  Maffit  &  Bartholomew.  August  7th,  8th,  E- 
L.  Davenport,  with  his  daughter,  Fanny;  17th,  18th,  the 
Buisley  Family;  29th,  Helen  Western  ;  31st,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.J.Florence.  September  8th,  Helen  Western  ;  13th,  14th, 
15th,  Laura  Keene  in  "Our  American  Cousin;"  17th,  the 
Webb  Sisters;  24th,  25th,  26th,  the  "Naiad  Queen,"  adver- 
tised as  entirely  new,  with  Laura  Cavendish  in  the  principal 
role.  October  9th,  Lotta  ;  17th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Wil- 
liams ;  22d,  E.  L.  Davenport ;  29th,  J.  S.  Clarke,  with  Boston 
Theatre  Company  ;  30th,  31st,  "Doctor  of  Alcantara,"  by 
company  from  French  Theatre,  New  York,  with  Rosa  Cooke 
in  the  cast.     November  6th,  F.  S.  Chanfrau  and  Olive  Logan  ; 


PROVIDENXE    STAGE.  177 

7th,  Ristori  as  Mary  Stuart  ;  9th,  10th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard 
Paul;  1 2th,  Boston  Theatre  Company  in  "Three  Guards- 
men," with  C.  R.  Thorne,  Jr.,  F.  Hardenberg,  Agnes  Perry, 
Rachel  Noah,  Susie  Cluer,  and  H.  L.  Bascomb  in  the  cast. 
November  19th,  20th,  John  Brougham  in  "  Playing  with  Fire," 
and  "  Dombey  and  Son  ;  "  27th,  Helen  Western.  December 
6th,  7th,  Joseph  Proctor;  17th,  Mrs.  F.  W.  Lander  (formerly 
Jean  M.  Davenport)  in  "Adrienne,  the  Actress  ;  "  24th,  Leo 
Hudson,  equestrienne;  and  25th,  John  Brougham. 

Even  up  to  the  present  time,  with  the  very  large  increase 
in  population,  there  has  rarely  been  a  year  when  so  many 
stars  of  distinction  and  combinations  of  rare  merit  have  vis- 
ited this  city.  Ristori  was  greeted  with  a  crowded  house, 
composed  of  the  most  fashionable  people  in  the  city,  and  the 
receipts  were  the  largest  ever  known  on  a  single  evening,  up 
to  that  time,  and  have  been  equalled  not  more  than  once 
or  twice  since.  It  was  said  that  they  reached  upwards  of  four 
thousand  dollars. 

Adelaide  Ristori  was  born  in  1821  ;  is  a  native  of  Friuli, 
and  the  child  of  strolling  actors  ;  appeared  on  the  stage  when 
but  two  months  old.  Her  first  instructress  was  her  grand- 
mother, Teresa  Ristori ;  but  having  made  her  debut  as  Fran- 
cesco, di  Rimini,  1835,  she  joined  a  year  later  the  Royal  Sar- 
dinian Company,  where  Carlotta  Marchioni,  perceiving  the 
genius  of  the  young  actress,  trained  her  as  her  own  successor 
in  the  leading  parts.  A  romantic  love  affair,  followed  by  her 
marriage  in  1847  with  the  young  Marquis  Capranica  del 
Grillo,  caused  Ristori  to  relinquish  her  profession  for  a  short 
period,  but  fortunately  the  objections  of  her  husband's  family 
were  overcome  by  an  exhibition  of  her  genius  at  a  charitable 
performance,  and  she  returned  to  the  stage.  Caroline  I11U1 
nari  gave  her  lessons  in  tragedy,  and,  having  established  her 
reputation  in  Italy  as  Myrrlia,  Rosamondc,  Octavia,  Antigone, 
Mary  Stuart,  and  other  characters,  she  went  in  1855  to  Paris, 
where  she  made  her  debut  as  Francesca,  while  Rachel  was  at 
the  zenith  of  her  fame.  In  spite  of  the  severe  nature  of  the 
test,  Ristori's  genius  triumphed,  and  her  acting  was  praised 
by  Lamartine,  Dumas  and  other  celebrated  critics.  Nor  was 
she  less  successful  in  England  (1858).  Fresh  laurels  were 
gained  in  every  European  capital  from  Moscow  to  Dublin, 
and  her  travels  were  extended  to  Egypt  and  Constantinople 
12 


178  HISTORY     OF     THE 

Nor  was  she  less  successful  in  the  New  World,  where  she 
visited  not  only  the  United  States,  but  also  the  principal 
countries  of  South  America.  In  1873  Ristori  revisited  Eng- 
land, and  gave  her  farewell  performance  at  the  Queen's  The- 
atre, Manchester.  Her  grand  impersonation  of  Lady  Mac- 
beth, despite  the  inadequate  support  accorded  to  it,  was 
received  with  enthusiasm  by  London  audiences  during  a  short 
season  in  1884. 

Ristori's  first  appearance  in  America  was  at  the  French 
Theatre,  New  York,  as  Medea.  She  visited  thirty  cities  on 
this  visit,  playing  Mary  Stuart,  Myrrha,  and  Lady  Macbeth. 
Since  that  time  she  has  twice  visited  America,  last  time  in 
1886,  without  any  diminution  of  her  powers  of  pleasing  the 
cultured  public. 

John  Brougham  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1810,  and  died  in 
New  York  in  1880.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prolific  of 
playwrights,  and  a  most  excellent  Irish  comedian.  One  writer 
says  of  him  :  "  John  Brougham's  inexhaustible  flow  of  spirits 
in  his  best  days  pervaded  all  his  acting,  and  invested  the  most 
unattractive  part  with  an  alluring  charm,  as  many  a  prosaic 
spot  in  nature  becomes  enchanted  land  by  the  music  of  fall- 
ing waters.  Add  to  this  exuberant  vitality  a  rich  endowment 
of  mother  wit,  a  bright  intelligence,  keen  sympathy  and  ap- 
preciation, and  rare  personal  magnetism,  and  you  have  before 
you  glorious  John,  whose  hearty  voice  it  was  always  a  pleas- 
ure to  hear,  and  whose  face  beaming  with  humor  was  always 
welcomed  with  delight."  Among  the  plays  from  his  pen 
were  "Vanity  Fair."  Dombey  &  Son,"  "David  Copperfield," 
"  Actress  of  Padua,"  (written  especially  for  Charlotte  Cush- 
man),  "Bleak  House,"  "Playing  With  Fire,"  "  Pocahontas," 
"Game  of  Life,"  and  "John  Garth."  Like  many  others,  he 
was  improvident,  and  when  old  age  came,  he  was  poor.  Two 
years  before  his  death  his  friends  in  New  York  gave  him  a 
benefit,  which  netted  him  $10,000. 

That  was  the  first  season  of  Lotta  in  this  city.  Lotta 
Mignon  Crabtree — for  so  she  was  christened — was  born  at  No. 
750  Broadway,  New  York  City,  Nov.  7,  1847.  She  lived  in 
the  house  where  she  was  born  till  1854,  when  she  was  taken  to 
California,  and  made  her  first  appearance  on  any  stage  at  a  con- 
cert given  in  Laport,  "for  one  night  only."  Her  second  appear- 
ance was  at  Petaluma  (1858),  where  she  played   Gertrude  in 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 79 

"  The  Loan  of  a  Lover."  She  then  travelled  as  the  star  of  a 
company  for  nearly  two  years,  being  called  "  La  Petite 
Lotta,"  and  ranked  as  an  infant  prodigy.  She  then  went  into 
the  variety  and  minstrel  business,  becoming,  in  i860,  the  pet 
of  San  Francisco,  many  nights  being  literally  showered  with 
gold  and  silver  coins  by  the  delighted  public.  Each  year  she 
took  a  tour  through  the  state,  and  also  played  engagements  at 
Maguire's  Opera  House.  After  one  of  the  most  successful 
benefits  ever  given  on  the  Pacific  slope,  she  sailed  for  the 
East,  and  arrived  May  16,  1864,  and  gave  her  first  perform- 
ance in  New  York,  at  Niblo's  Saloon  June  1st.  She  was  not 
a  success.  In  August  she  was  at  McVicker's  Theatre,  in 
Chicago,  where,  one  night,  while  playing  in  "The  Seven  Sis- 
ters," an  .unknown  admirer  threw  her,  neatly  done  up  in  a 
handkerchief,  a  $300  gold  watch  and  chain.  From  Chicago 
she  returned  to  Boston,  and  then  made  a  tour  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  summer  of  1867  she  made  her  second  ap- 
pearance in  New  York,  this  time  at  Wallack's,  under  the  man- 
agement of  C.  W.  Tayleure,  and  played  the  most  brilliant 
summer  engagement  ever  known  there. 

In  1869  sh#  returned  to  California,  and  was  welcomed  back 
in  one  of  the  most  brilliant  engagements  ever  played  there. 
She  has  played  many  very  successful  engagements  in  Prov- 
dence.  Her  last  visit  here  was  during  the  early  part  of  last 
season. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

1867-1869. 

Adelaide  Phillips,  Brignoli  and  Susini  —  The  three  Worrell 
Sisters— Laura  Keene  in  "Our  American  Cousin  "— Mme.  Anna 
de  la  Grange— Clara  Louise  Kellogg  in  opera— The  "  Long 
Strike"— Debut  of  JIannah  E.  Bailey— Sketch  of  Edwin  Booth- 
Sketch  of  Mrs.  Scott-Siddons  — Visit  of  Charles  Dickens  — 
Agatha  States. 

IN  1867,  the  City  Hall  had  but  few  attractions  other  than  lec- 
tures and  minstrel  performances,  but  some  of  these  were 
excellent.  February  28th  to  March  1st,  "  Don  Pasquale  " 
and  the  "  Barber  of  Seville  "  were  given  very  satisfactorily  in 
Italian  by  Adelaide  Phillips,  Brignoli,  Susin%  and  others. 
April  1 2th,  "Cinderella"  and  "Aladdin  "  were  produced  in 
gorgeous  style  by  a  large  company  under  the  management  of 
B.  F.  Whitman.  The  three  Worrell  Sisters,  Jennie,  Sophie, 
and  Irene,  were  at  the  head  of  the  company.  Sophie  has 
since  become  the  wife  of  George  S.  Knight.  April  25th,  26th, 
Laura  Keene  appeared  in  "Our  American  Cousin,"  the  same 
play  in  which  she  appeared  at  Ford's  Opera  House  in  Wash- 
ington on  the  14th  of  April,  1865,  when  President  Lincoln 
was  shot  by  J.  Wilkes  Booth.  June  17th  the  "  Black  Crook  " 
began  a  week's  engagement,  and  attracted  overflowing  houses. 
The  Ronconi  Italian  Opera  Company  produced  "  Barber  of 
Seville  "  August  23d.  September  2d,  Marietta  Ravel  ap- 
peared in  the  "French  Spy."  November  12th,  Parepa  Rosa 
and  Ferranti  gave  a  concert.  November  28th,  Madame  Anna 
de  la  Grange,  one  of  the  best  of  operatic  artists,  appeared  in 
"Norma." 

The  Academy  of  Music  had  many  good  attractions  in  1867, 
among  them  being  the  Boston  Theatre  Company  in  the 
"Octoroon"  and  "Griffith  Gaunt,"  with  C.  R.  Thorne,  H.  L. 
Bascomb  and  Louis  Aldrich  in  the  casts,  Clara  Louise  Kel- 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  l8l 

logg  in  "Fra  Diavolo  "  and  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor ; "  the 
New  York  Olympic  Company,  in  the  "Long  Strike,''  with 
J.  H.  Stoddard  and  young  Vandenhoff ;  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
with  Louis  Aldrich  as  Uncle  Tom  and  Rachel  Noah  as  Topsey  , 
the  Boston  Theatre  Company  in  "  Rosedale  "  ;  Howard  Paul 
and  wife  ;  Edwin  Booth  as  Hamlet;  Ristori's  farewell.  In 
this  engagement  she  impersonated  Elizabeth,  but  there  was  a 
great  falling  off  in  receipts  compared  with  her  former  visit  ; 
Frank  Mayo  as  Richard  III.,  and  as  Badger  in  "  Streets  ot 
New  York ; "  Davenport  and  Wallack  Combination,  with 
Emily  Jordan  and  Thomas  Placide,  the  plays  being  "  Othello," 
"Still  Waters  Run  Deep,"  "Black  Eyed'  Susan"  and  "Da- 
mon and  Pythias  ;  "  Wyzeman  Marshall  in  the  "  Honeymoon," 
on  which  occasion  Miss  Hannah  E.  Bailey,  of  this  city,  made 
her  de'bat;  Kate  Reignolds  ;  C.  R.  Thorne,  Louis  Aldrich, 
James  Lewis,  N.  D.  Jones,  Louisa  Morse,  etc.,  in  "Corsican 
Brothers"  and  "Carpenter  of  Rouen;"  E.  L.  Davenport, 
Frank  Mayo  and  Lucille  Western  in  "Oliver  Twist ;  "  Helen 
Western  in  "  East  Lynne ; "  Joseph  Proctor  and  Kitty 
Blanchard  in  "Hidden  Hand;"  Mrs.  Lander  in  "Queen 
Elizabeth"  and  "  Mary  Stuart ;  "  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Florence  in 
"Handy  Andy;"  Boston  Theatre  Company  in  "Griffith 
Gaunt"  and  "Nobody's  Daughter;"  the  Hanlons ;  compli- 
mentary benefit  to  W.  C.  Forbes,  November  22d  ;  La  Grange 
and  Brignoli  in  opera;  and  "Norwood,"  a  play  written  by 
Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  most  notable  engagement  of  the 
season  was  that  of  Mr.  Edwin  Booth.  Mr.  Booth  was  born  at 
his  father's  country-seat,  Belair,  Maryland,  in  November,  1833. 
When  a  mere  boy,  he  accompanied  his  father  in  his  travels  as 
his  dresser,  studying  with  and  caring  for  him.  His  firsl 
ular  appearance  on  the  stage  was  made  at  the  Boston  Museum, 
in  a  minor  part  in  "Richard  IIP,"  Sept.  10,  1S49.  On  the 
27th  of  September,  1850,  he  appeared  in  the  "Iron  Chest," 
as  Wilfordy  for  his  father's  benefit,  at  the  National  Theatre 
in  New  York.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  young  Booth 
went  to  California  and  engaged  for  utility  business.  In  [854 
he  went  to  Australia  and  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Returning 
to  New  York,  he  burst  upon  the  town  at  Burton's  Theatre, 
May,  4,  1857,  as  Richard  III.,  and  has  ever  since  been  i> 
nized  as  one  of  the   foremost  of  American  tragedians.      In 


l82  HISTORY  OF  THE 

July,  1 86 1,  he  married  Mary  Devlin,  and  sailed  for  England. 
Three  years  after  she  died.  On  the  28th  of  November,  1864, 
Mr.  Booth  began  an  engagement  at  the  Winter  Garden,  in 
New  York,  as  Hamlet,  which  he  played  one  hundred  nights. 
His  second  wife,  whom  he  married  June  7,  1869,  was  Mary 
McVicker,  daughter  of  Manager  McVicker,  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Booth  has  been  a  deep  and  careful  student.  All  the  minutiae 
of  the  stage  he  has  mastered.  His  readings  are  all  that  can 
be  desired ;  his  gestures  and  poses  are  grace  itself.  In  pri- 
vate life  he  is  a  singularly  reserved  and  silent  man.  It  is  not 
strange.  Over  his  life,  from  boyhood  up,  have  hung  clouds 
of  the  darkest  gloom,  out  of  which  darted  one  thunderbolt, 
that  almost  paralyzed  a  nation.  Through  all  his  trials,  and 
amid  assaults  as  dastardly  as  they  were  uncalled  for,  Edwin 
Booth  still  enjoys  the  respect  and  honor  of  his  country- 
men. 

The  next  season,  1868,  brought  another-list  of  the  strong- 
est attractions  in  the  country  to  this  city.  At  the  Academy 
of  Music  the  Boston  Theatre  Company  presented  "  Rosedale  " 
and  the  "  Streets  of  New  York  ;  "  January  8th,  9th  and  10th, 
Wyzeman  Marshall  and  Lucette  Webster  appeared  in  the 
"  Rag  Picker  of  Paris  ;  "  January  13th  to  January  20th,  M.  W. 
Leffingwell ;  January  28th,  Nellie  Germon ;  February  3d, 
McKean  Buchanan;  February  17th,  18th,  Ada  Gray  ;  March 
2d,  Yankee -Locke  and  Dollie  Bidwell ;  March  nth,  John  E. 
Owens ;  March  30th,  Joseph  Proctor  ;  April  27th,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  E.  L.  Davenport ;  April  29th,  four  nights,  Jarrett  & 
Palmer's  company  in  "White  Fawn  ;"  May  nth,  12th,  13th, 
Edwin  Booth  in  "Hamlet,"  "Richelieu"  and  "Katharine 
and  Petruchio ;  "  May  19th,  Adelaide  Ristori,  another  fare- 
well ;  June  1st,  Edwin  Booth  again  ;  June  2d,  Parisian  com- 
pany, with  Mile.  Lambele  in  "  Grand  Duchesse,"  one  of  the 
best  entertainments  ever  given  here  ;  June  16th,  Kate  Fisher 
as  Maseppa  ;  July  17th,  William  Warren  as  Paul  Pry  ;  Sep- 
tember 14th,  Frank  Mayo  in  "  Hamlet,"  "  Corsican  Brothers  " 
and  "Streets  of  New  York;"  September  18th,  19th,  "Grand 
Duchesse"  in  English,  with  Eva  Brent;  September  23d, 
"  Foul  Play,"  with  C.  R.  Thorne  and  Rachel  Noah  ;  Septem- 
ber 25th,  "Under  the  Gaslight,"  with  Thorne  as  Snorkey ; 
September  28th,  Laura  Keene  in  "  Our  American  Cousin  ;  " 
October  1st,  2d,  3d,  Miss   Major  Pauline  Cushman  in  "The 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 83 

Gypsey  Queen  ; "  October  5th,  Maggie  Mitchell ;  October 
9th,  10th,  Mile.  Zoe;  October  23d,  24th,  Mrs.  F.  W.  Lander; 
November  6th,  7th,  F.  S.  Chanfrau  ;  November  18th,  19th, 
20th,  2 1  st,  Edwin  Adams  in  "The  Heretic;"  November 
23d,  24th,  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons  in  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "  As 
You  Like  It,"  with  C.  R.  Thorne,  W.  F.  Burroughs  and 
Rachel  Noah  in  the  cast ;  December  3d,  4th,  5th,  E.  L.  Dav- 
enport ;  December  7th,  John  Brougham  in  the  "  Lottery  of 
Life;"  December  14th,  Charles  Baum  in  "The  Fool's  Re- 
venge;" December  18th,  19th,  E.  L.  Davenport,  advertised 
as  "the  greatest  actor  of  the  age;"  December  22d,  J.  M. 
Ward;  December  31st,  McKean  Buchanan. 

This  was  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons's  first  appearance  here  on  the 
histrionic  stage.  She  came  to  America  only  a  few  months 
previous,  and  honored  Providence  with  her  first  reading  in 
America.  She  is  the  great  granddaughter  of  the  Mrs. 
Siddons,  and,  according  to  Fanny  Kemble,  "  her  exquisite 
features  present  the  most  perfect  living  miniature  of  her 
great  grandmother's  majestic  beauty."  She  was  born  in 
India  in  1844,  and  was  educated  in  Germany.  Her  first  pro- 
fessional appearance  was  at  Nottingham,  England,  as  Lady 
Macbeth.  Her  first  American  appearance  as  an  actress  was 
at  the  Boston  Museum. 

At  the  City  Hall,  the  important  engagements  in  1868, 
were  Charles  Dickens,  February  20th,  21st,  who  read  from 
his  own  works,  "The  Trial  of  Pickwick,"  "Christmas  Carol," 
"Dr.  Marigold"  and  "Bob  Sawyer's  Party."  The  house 
was  crowded  at  both  entertainments,  and  the  audiences  were 
delighted.  March  27th,  La  Grange  and  Brignoli  ;  April 
30th,  Ole  Bull;  May  1st,  Parepa  Rosa;  June  6th,  "Grand 
Duchesse,"  with  Tostee  ;  August  24th,  25th,  Grand  German 
Opera  Company;  August  27th,  Blind  Tom  ;  October  12th, 
Frank  Mayo  and  E.  L.  Davenport ;  November  9th,  Clara 
Louise  Kellogg,  in  concert. 

In  1869  the  Academy  probably  had  a  larger  number  of  at- 
tractions than  in  any  other  year  before  or  since,  during  its 
existence.  Some  of  the  most  prominent  were  :  January 
8th,  9th,  Florence  burlesque  troupe  in  "Grand  Duchesse;'" 
January  nth,  week,  Boston  Theatre  Company  in  "After 
Dark,"  with  Thorne,  Aldrich,  Weaver,  J.  M.  Ward,  Shirley 
France,  T.  H.  Burns,  Rachel  Noah,  and  Helen  Tracy;  Janu 


184  HISTORY     OF     THE 

ary  iSth,  19th,  the  same  in  "Foul  Play;"  January  25th, 
26th,  Edwin  Forrest  in  "Jack  Cade"  and  "  Metamora ; " 
January  28th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Williams;  February  1st, 
2d,  3d,  Florence  Burlesque  Company,  with  Jennie  Kimball  ; 
February  4th,  5th,  6th,  Frank  Roche  in  "Iron  Mask," 
"  Rosedale,"  "  Corsican  Brothers,"  and  "Dick  Turpin  ;  " 
February  8th,  Elise  Holt  Burlesque  Company  in  "  Lucretia 
Borgia;"  February  9th,  10th,  nth,  12th,  Boston  Theatre 
Company  in  "Lancashire  Lass"  and  "Victorine,  or,  I'll 
Sleep  On  It;"  17th,  18th,  the  same  in  "Three  Guards- 
men," "Under  the  Gaslight ;"  March  1 1  th,  12th,  13th,  Agnes 
Ethel  ;  22d,  23d,  24th,  Riching's  English  Opera  Company  in 
"Crown  Diamonds,"  "  Martha,"  etc.,  with  Castle,  Campbell, 
Seguin  and  others  ;  April  5th,  benefit  of  J.  D.  Grace  ;  8th, 
9th,  10th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Florence;  14th,  Lotta  in  "Fire 
Fly;"  15th,  Boston  Theatre  Company  in  "  School  ; "  20th, 
21st,  22d,  Laura  Keene ;  24th,  benefit  Louisa  Morse;  June 
14th,  15th,  Wallack's  Theatre  Company,  with  Rose  Eytinge, 
Blanche  Gray,  G.  H.  Gilbert,  Mrs.  Sedley  Brown,  Fanny 
Reeves,  J.  F.  Hall,  J.  H.  Stoddard,  Owen  Marlowe,  J.  C. 
Williamson,  C.  H.  Rockwell,  etc.;  16th,  17th,  18th,  another 
company  from  Wallack's  in  "Rosedale"  and  "The  Rivals," 
Charles  Fisher,  B.  T.  Ringgold,  J.  B.  Polk,  Emily  Mestayer 
and  others  in  the  casts;  June  21st,  Ada  Harland  in  bur- 
lesque, "  Forty  Thieves  ;"  July  16th,  17th,  Kate  Reignolds, 
in  "Angel  of  Midnight;"  August  18th,  19th,  Whitman's 
Burlesque  Company,  in  "Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,"  with 
Jennie  Kimball,  Mrs.  Fred  Williams,  Hattie  Snow,  Minnie 
Foster,  Eliza  Jordan,  "  Corinne,  the  Child  Wonder,"  Harry 
Murdock,  C.  A.  Stedman,  etc.;  October  nth,  12th,  13th, 
Maggie  Mitchell;  19th,  20th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Wil- 
liams; November  10th,  nth,  12th,  George  L.  Fox;  15-th, 
16th,  Mrs.  Howard;  18th,  D.  J.  McGuinness,  in  "Irish 
Tutor;  "24th,  Edwin  Booth,  in  "Hamlet;"  29th,  30th,  Lin- 
gard  and  Alice  Dunning  ;  December  3d,  Jennie  Kimball  and 
Corinne;  22d,  Kate  Reignolds,  in  "East  Lynne ; "  25th, 
Boston  Theatre  Company,  in  "  Arrah  na  Pogue,"  with  Mrs  J. 
B.  Booth,  Helen  Tracy,  Frank  Roche,  Leslie  Allen,  D.  J.  Mc- 
Guinness, H.  A.  Weaver,  H.  S.  Murdoch  in  the  cast. 

At  City   Hall,   the   first    event    of    interest    in    1869   was 
February    1st,  appearance    of   Agatha    States  as  Elvira    in 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  1S5 

"Ernani."  She  was  a  handsome  woman  and  a  thorough  art- 
ist. April  19th,  Clara  Louise  Kellogg  was  announced  for  a 
farewell  concert;  May  8th,  Parepa  Rosa;  May  21st,  Clara 
Louise  Kellogg  in  "Don  Pasquale ; "  May  31st,  Ole  Bull's 
farewell  ;  September  30th,  the  name  was  changed  to  Harring- 
ton's Opera  House,  and  Flora  Myers  appeared  there  in  the 
"Sea  of  Ice;"  October  19th,  Carlotta  Patti  in  concert; 
October  29th,  Sheridan  Histronic  Club,  in  "Gunmaker  of 
Moscow,"  with  Dennis  O'Reilly  as  the  Gunmaker;  November 
2d,  Theodore  Thomas  ;  November  10th,  benefit  T.  M.  Tyrrell  ; 
November  19th,  Kate  Fisher;  November  27th,  29th,  30th, 
Yankee  Locke;  December  8th,  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons ;  Decem- 
ber 20th,  2 1  st,  Selwyn's  Theatre  Company  in  "Follies  of  a 
Night  ;  "  December  27th,  Dollie  Bidwell. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

1870-71. 

Harrington's  Opera  House  takes  the  lead— Clara  Louise  Kel- 
logg's  third  "Farewell"— The  Russian  Concert  Troupe— Bene- 
fit op  Anita  L.  Harris— Tompkins  and  Thayer's  lease  of  the 
academy  expires— A  long  list  of  good  attractions— Lawrence 
Barrett  in  the  "  Man  o'  Airlie"— Sketch  of  Mr.  Barrett. 

IN  1870,  Harrington's  Opera  House  took  the  lead  in  the 
number  and  excellence  of  its  attractions,  although 
the  Academy  had  a  few  of  the  best.  At  the  former 
house  Clara  Louise  Kellogg  appeared  in  concert  January  5th, 
this  being  her  third  "farewell  ;  "  January  20th,  21st,  Russian 
Concert  troupe,  with  the  great  tenor,  Agreneff  Slaviansky. 
(This  company  created  a  great  sensation  here  by  its  excellent 
singing  and  the  novelty  of  the  music  produced.)  January  26th, 
27th,  28th,  F.  S.  Chanfrau,  Ettie  Henderson,  C.  R.  Thorne, 
C.  T.  Parsloe,  etc.,  in  "  Sam  "  and  "Joe,"  an  extra  attraction 
being  the  recital  of  "  Sheridan's  Ride,"  by  Mr.  Thorne  ; 
February  1st,  Parepa  Rosa  in  "Maritana"  and  "  Fra 
Diavolo."  On  this  occasion  Rose  Hersee  made  her  d3ut 
here.  She  soon  became  a  great  favorite  in  this  country. 
February  24th,  25th,  26th,  E.  L.  Davenport  came  in  "  Enoch 
Arden,"  etc.  March  9th,  Selwyn's  comedians  came.  Among 
the  familiar  names  in  this  company  were  Stuart  Robson,  H.  F 
Daly,  Harry  Pearson,  H.  L.  Bascomb,  H.  Melmer,  T.  H 
Burns,  C.  Stedman,  O.  A.  Dinsmore,  T.  Goldthwait,  Kittie 
Blanchard,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Davenport,  Mary  Cary,  Ida  Savory, 
Miss  Athena,  Jennie  Pearson.  March  17th,  18th,  19th,  John 
Brougham  came  in  the  "  Lottery  of  Life  ;  "  March  24th,  25th, 
26th,  Lester  Wallack  in  "Ours;"  April  18th,  19th,  Mrs. 
Scott  Siddons  as  Rosalind  and  Lady  Teazle;  April  26th, 
27th,  28th,  Maggie  Mitchell ;  May  7th,  farewell  of  Howard 
Paul  and  wife  ;    May    14th,   Mrs.   Scott  Siddons    in    "  King 


PROVIDENXE    STAGE.  I  87 

Rene's  Daughter"  and  "  Frou  Frou";  May  16th,  Emma 
Waller  ;  June  8th,  9th,  Sophie  Worrell  Company  ;  June  10th, 
nth,  "  The  Lancers,"  with  Charles  Wyndham,  J.  C.  William- 
son, C.  H.  Rockwell,  Louise  Moore  and  Amelia  Harris  in  the 
cast;  August  1st,  complimentary  benefit  to  Miss  Anita  L. 
Harris,  of  this  city.  Fanny  Burt,  Frank  Evans,  Dennis 
O'Reilly  and  others  appeared.  August  15th,  16th,  Maffitt 
and  Bartholomew  ;  August  24th,  Lingard  and  Alice  Dunning  ; 
September  12th,  Lucille  Western;  September  26th,  27th, 
Albert  Aiken  ;  October  2d,  week,  Lydia  Thompson  troupe  ; 
October  10th,  nth,  J.  K.  Emmet ;  October  12th,  13th,  Theo- 
dore Thomas;  October  21st,  22d,  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons  in 
"Twixt  Axe  and  Crown  ;  "  October  24th,  25th,  26th,  Maggie 
Mitchell ;  October  28th,  Adelaide  Phillips  and  Jules  Levy  ; 
October  29th,  31st,  Rose  and  Harry  Watkins  ;  November  3d, 
Harry  Taylor  in  "  Ticket  of  Leave  Man,"  with  Lillie  Wilkin- 
son as  Sam  Willoughby  ;  November  5th,  6th,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Oates 
in  "  The  Fair  One  with  the  Blonde  Wig  ;  "  November  1  ith, 
Christine  Nilsson,  with  Annie  Louise  Cary  and  Brignoli  ; 
November  22d,  23d,  24th,  Fannie  Herring,  Yankee  Locke,  T. 
H.  Burns  and  others,  in  "Sam  Patch  in  France,"  etc.  ;  No- 
vember 28th,  29th,  Mrs.  D.  P.  Bowers  ;  December  5th,  Mrs. 
G.  C.  Howard  ;  December  10th,  English  Opera  Company, 
with  Castle,  Bowler,  Lawrence,  Campbell,  Drayton,  Seguin, 
Rose  Hersee,  Zelda  Seguin,  etc.  ;  the  operas  were  "  Martha  " 
and  "  Dinorah  ; "  December  26th,  27th,  Stuart  Robson  ; 
December  29th,  30th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Williams. 

The  principal  attractions  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  1870 
were  Lucille  Western,  January  nth,  12th,  13th;  Italian 
Opera  Company,  with  Sig.  Torriani,  Miss  Kellogg  and  Sig. 
Lefranc,  in  "Lucia"  and  "Trovatore;"  March  28th,  20th, 
Lisa  Weber's  Burlesque  Company,  April  nth,  12th,  13th; 
E.  L.  Davenport  and  Wyzeman  Marshall,  April  20th  ;  Mrs. 
Howard,  April  30th  ;  Parepa  Rosa  in  "  Rose  of  Castile"  and 
"Marriage  of  Figaro,"  with  Rose  Hersee,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Seguin,  Castle  and  Campbell  in  the  cast.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  successful  as  well  as  most  agreeable  operatic  per- 
formances ever  given  in  Providence,  and  merited,  as  it  re- 
ceived, the  patronage  of  the  best  people  in  the  city  ;  Sep- 
tember 26th,  27th,  Lisa  Weber  in  burlesque,  advertised  as 
the  only  successful  rival  of  Lydia  Thompson. 


1 88  HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  lease  of  the  Academy  of  Music  by  Tompkins  & 
Thayer,  of  the  Boston  Theatre,  had  now  expired,  and  for  a 
few  years  there  were  no  dramatic  entertainments  given  there. 
This  left  Harrington's  Opera  House  as  the  only  place  in  the 
city  for  such  entertainments,  and,  for  the  year  1 871,  except 
during  the  hottest    months,   it  was    almost    constantly  filled. 

The  principal  attractions  were  as  follows  :  January  6th,  Lil- 
lie  Wilkinson  ;  20th,  John  Murray;  23d,  Wyzeman  Mar- 
shall ;  February  2d,  Maretzek's  new  German  Opera  Company 
in  "Stradella,"  with  Karl  Formes,  Theodore  Hablemann,etc; 
February  6th,  John  E.  Owens  ;  8th,  Kellogg,  in  concert  ; 
14th,  H.  G.  Clarke's  Dramatic  Company  in  "Streets  of  New 
York  ;"  23d,  24th,  25th,  Adelphi  Burlesque  Company  ;  March 
4th,  Lina  Edwin;  6th,  7th,  John  E.  Owens;  10th,  nth, 
12th,  John  L.  Hall;  14th,  15th,  Ravel-Martinetti  troupe; 
31st,  benefit  C.  T.  Parsloe  ;  April  3d,  4th,  5th,  Fox  and 
Denier  troupe;  nth,  12th,  13th,  Maggie  Mitchell ;  17th,  M. 
W.  Leffingwell  ;  21st,  22d,  Lingard  and  Alice  Dunning; 
24th,  Mrs.  G.  C.  Howard  ;  May  5th,  6th,  Oliver  D.  Byron  ; 
8th,  9th,  10th,  Lucille  Western;  12th,  Stuart  Robson  ;  22d, 
J.  L.  Hall  ;  29th,  30th,  Joseph  Jefferson  ;  June  5th,  6th,  J. 
W.  Wallack  ;  8th,  9th,  10th,  John  Brougham;  14th,  15th, 
16th,  Butler  &  Gilmore's  Combination  ;  23d,  24th,  Tony  Pas- 
tor ;  30th,  Sheridan  &  Mack  ;  July  4th,  H.  C.  Clarke's  Com- 
pany;  August  3d,  benefit  John  Murray;  16th,  17th,  18th, 
19th,  Lauri  troupe ;  26th,  28th,  J.  G.  Campbell;  September 
4th,  5th,  O.  D.  Byron;  8th,  9th,  Edwin  Adams;  nth,  12th, 
Lawrence  Barrett  in  "  Man  0'  Airlie  ;  "  16th,  18th,  Albert  W. 
Aiken  ;  23d,  24th,  E.  T.  Stetson  ;  October  2d,  John  L.  Hall ; 
9th,  J.  K  Eaimet;  nth,  12th,  J.  M.  Ward;  13th,  14th,  Kate 
Reignolds ;  19th,  Lydia  Thompson;  23:1,  24th,  Rose  and 
Harry  Watkins  ;  30th,  31st,  Gus  Phillips  in  "  Oofty  Gooft  ;  " 
November  9th,  benefit  of  J.  D.  Grace;  13th,  14th,  Mrs. 
Macready  in  the  character  of  SJiylock ;  15th,  D.  E.  Band- 
mann  ;  21st,  22d,  Joseph  Murphy;  23d,  24th,  25th,  Villa  & 
Miner's  Comic  Opera  Company;  30th,  Lotta ;  December 
23d,  25th,  Frank  Mayo. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  events  of  the  season  at  this  house 
was  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Lawrence  Barrett  in  "  The  Man 
o'  Airlie."  It  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  better  class 
of  theatre-goers,  and  was  talked  about  for  a  long  time.     The 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  89 

Providence  Journal  said  of  it  :  "  Mr.  Lawrence  Barrett  has 
made  the  charactor  of  James  Harebell 'his  own,  and  from  first 
to  last  does  it  just  justice.  Easy,  smooth,  natural,  he  not  only 
enters  into  the  spirit  of  the  character,  but  he  carries  the  audi- 
ence with  him,  and  he  makes  them  a  part  of  the  play." 

This  play  was  always  a  favorite  with  Providence  audiences, 
but  Mr.Barrett  found  it  unprofitable  in  many  other  cities,  and 
especially  in  the  smaller  places,  so  that  he  played  it  but  sel- 
dom after  the  first  year  or  two.  It  was  what  is  known  in  the 
profession  as  "  over  the  heads  "  of  the  average  audience. 

Mr.  Lawrence  Barrett  was  born  at  Paterson,  N.  J.,  April 
14,  1838.  He  was  so  sickly  and  feeble  in  his  young  clays 
that  his  mother  often  had  to  carry  him  to  school  in  her  arms. 
His  health  improved  after  his  family  moved  to  Detroit,  while 
he  was  quite  young.  But  the  family  was  poor,  and  he  had  to 
seek  employment  while  still  a  boy.  He  became  call-boy  in 
the  Metropolitan  Theatre,  at  a  salary  of  $2.50  per  week.  It 
may  be  imagined  that  a  bright  boy  was  not  slow  at  the  theatre 
to  gain  a  love  for  plays  and  acting,  and  that  an  ambitious  boy 
was  not  slow  to  resolve  to  be  an  actor,  and  a  great  one.  He 
watched  all  that  he  saw  around  him  with  studious  attention, 
and  treasured  all  that  he  could  learn,  adding  to  it  in  all  his 
leisure  moments  by  diligent  study.  As  he  gained  in  learn- 
ing, he  began  to  study  speeches  from  Shakspeare,  and  to  re- 
cite them  to  amuse  his  companions,  and  he  watched  the 
method  of  such  good  actors  as  he  had  the  fortune  to  hear. 
At  length  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  manager,  and  on 
a  happy  day  in  1853  the  part  of  Muirad  in  "The  French 
Spy"  was  given  to  him.  He  did  it  so  well  that  other  small 
parts  were  given  to  him  from  time  to  time.  Soon  afterwards 
he  went  to  Pittsburg,  and  for  two  years  played  in  the  support 
of  many  of  the  leading  stars.  In  1857,  he  was  playing  lead 
ing  parts  at  the  Old  Chambers  Street  Theatre  in  New  York, 
and  attracted  so  much  favorable  attention  from  managers  that 
he  was  placed  in  the  position  of  being  able  to  make  cli 
among  the  theatres  of  New  York  for  his  next  season's  en- 
gagement. He  went  to  Burton's  and  there  met  Edwin 
Booth,  who  came  as  a  star.  A  friendship  was  thus  early 
formed  between  them,  which  continued  up  to  the  death  of 
Mr.  Barrett.     In    1858  he  went  to  the  Boston   Museum    as 


I9O  HISTORY    OF    THE 

leading  man.  He  remained  there  two  years  and  then  went 
to  the  Howard  Athenaeum.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  en- 
listed and  served  as  captain  of  Company  B,  of  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  from  Oct.  8,  1861,  to  Au- 
gust, 1863.  Upon  his  return  to  the  North  he  played  in  Phil- 
adelphia, Washington,  and  New  York,  and  finally  went  to  New 
Orleans  to  manage  a  theatre  there.  His  starring  began  in 
1864.  He  made  trips  to  Europe  in  1866,  '67  and  '68,  and  in 
'69  opened  the  California  Theatre  with  John  McCullough  as 
his  partner.  The  following  year  he  sold  out  to  his  partner 
and  resumed  starring.  He  soon  after  opened  at  Niblo's  Gar- 
den in  New  York,  and  during  his  engagement  there  "  Julius 
Caesar "  was  produced.  His  impersonation  of  Cassius  was 
considered  superior  to  that  of  any  other  man  who  had  ever 
played  the  part  there.  Soon  after  he  went  to  Booth's 
Theatre,  and  for  sixteen  weeks  played  opposite  characters  to 
Mr.  Booth.  June  5,  1871,  the  first  production  in  this  coun- 
try of  the  "Man  o'  Airlie"  was  given.  In  1872  he  was  in 
the  great  cast  of  "Julius  Caesar"  at  Booth's,  and  again  in 
1875.  In  1884  he  played  an  engagement  at  Irving's  theatre 
in  London,  and  was  given  a  banquet  by  the  leading  literary 
men  of  the  great  metropolis  at  the  Langham  Hotel.  Mr. 
Barrett's  subsequent  career  is  pretty  well  known  to  all  theatre- 
goers. He  produced  more  good  plays  than  almost  any  other 
man  in  the  country.  He  was  a  brilliant  writer,  an  excellent 
speaker,  and  no  man  in  his  profession  has  ever  held  a  higher 
position  among  men  of  distinction  in  this  country.  After  his 
final  union  of  interests  with  Mr.  Booth,  the  season  began  at 
Buffalo,  Sept.  12,  1887,  the  supporting  company  being  one 
of  judiciously  selected  people,  acting  together  under  the 
stage  direction  of  Mr.  Barrett.  Such  audiences  were  never 
known  in  the  theatres  of  the  United  States,  as  patronized 
Booth  and  Barrett  throughout  the  season,  the  unprecedented 
success  of  which  is  defined  by  the  fact  that  the  profit  to  the 
tragedians  was  undoubtedly  greater  than  had  ever  before  been 
realized  by  any  two  actors  in  this  country. 

Messrs.  Booth  and  Barrett  were  playing  at  the  Broadway 
Theatre  in  New  York  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  had 
caught  a  severe  cold  while  at  rehearsal,  but  thought  lightly  of 
it.     March  16,  1891,  he  was  cast  for  Adrian  De  Mauprat  in 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I9I 

"Richelieu,"  but  was  too  ill  to  appear.  The  following  night 
he  played  the  part  without  apparent  difficulty,  but  that  was 
his  last  night  on  the  stage,  for  in  spite  of  the  skill  of  dis- 
tinguished physicians,  he  passed  away  on  Friday  morning, 
March  20th.  He  left  a  widow  and  three  daughters,  the  latter 
being  all  married. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

1871. 

Opening  of  the  Providence  Opera  House— A  building  that  cost 
more  than  all  the  other  theatres  providence  had  ever  had— 
The  original  stockholders— Sketch  of  the  opening  exercises— 
Ex-Gov.   Van  Zandt's  poem— Cast  of  the  First  Play— Some  of 

THE    POPULAR   PLAYS   GIVEN— PAREPA   ROSA   AND  CHARLOTTE  CUSH~ 
MAN    THE    ONLY    STARS    OF    THE    FIRST    SEASON. 

THE  great  event  of  1871,  and  one  of  the  greatest  events 
in  the  dramatic  history  of  the  city,  was  the  opening 
of  the  Providence  Opera  House.  For  many  years  a 
movement  had  been  on  foot  to  erect  an  opera  house  here, 
and  a  few  wealthy  gentlemen  had  gone  so  far  as  to  purchase 
land  for  such  a  building.  At  this  point,  however,  there 
seemed  to  be  a  sudden  collapse,  and  it  was  freely  predicted 
that  it  would  be  years  before  any  building  such  as  contem- 
plated would  be  erected.  In  July,  1871,  the  writer  was  vis- 
iting at  the  residence  of  Maggie  Mitchell,  then  on  Cedar 
Avenue,  Long  Branch.  Mr.  William  Henderson  was  a  near 
neighbor,  and,  in  conversation  with  .him  one  day  about  the 
lack  of  a  good  theatre  in  Providence,  he  said  that  he  had  so 
much  confidence  in  its  being  a  profitable  investment,  that  he 
would  willingly  take  $10,000  worth  of  the  stock.  The  writer 
told  Mr.  Henderson  that  if  he  would  accompany  him  to  Prov- 
idence, he  would  introduce  him  to  the  gentlemen  most  inter- 
ested in  the  matter,  and  he  had  no  doubt  that  they  would  act 
favorably  upon  it  at  once,  if  a  man  with  his  experience  was 
willing  to  prove  his  faith  in  the  enterprise  by  subscribing  the 
amount  named.  Mr.  Henderson  came  to  Providence  the  fol- 
lowing week,  and  the  writer  took  him  to  Col.  Henry  Lippitt's 
office,  then  in  the  Reynolds  Building,  on  Weybosset  street, 
and  introduced  him  to  Mr.  Lippitt.  They  had  not  been  in 
conversation  half  an  hour  before  Mr.  Lippitt  said  the  matter 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  1 93 

was  as  good  as  settled ;  that  there  would  be  a  new  opera 
house  here,  and  that  it  would  be  a  good  one.  With  his  well- 
known  energy,  he  left  his  office,  and,  before  night  had  come, 
as  it  has  often  been  stated,  all  the  necessary  money  had  been 
pledged.  Just  as  soon  as  the  preliminary  details  could  be 
arranged,  the  work  began  on  the  foundation  at  the  corner  of 
Dorrance,  Pine  and  Eddy  streets,  and  in  ninety  working  days 
the  structure  had  been  completed,  and  the  new  Providence 
Opera  House  was  opened  on  the  evening  of  Dec.  4,  1871. 
The  carpenters  were  at  work  even  after  the  doors  opened, 
and  the  last  nail  was  not  driven  until  within  ten  minutes  of  the 
time  for  the  curtain  to  go  up.  Eight  days  before  the  opening 
the  scene  painter,  Mr.  Richard  Marston,  had  not  touched  the 
drop  curtain,  and  that  seemed  to  annoy  Mr.  Henderson  more 
than  anything  else.  He  finally  made  a  wager  of  a  basket  of 
wine  with  Mr.  Marston  that  the  curtain  would  not  be  com- 
pleted in  time.  The  wager  was  readily  accepted,  and  it  was 
won  by  the  painter,  but  he  had  very  little  time  to  spare. 

Other  difficulties  which  Mr.  Henderson  encountered  in 
opening  were  in  regard  to  his  leading  man,  and  the  leader  of 
the  orchestra.  Mr.  Charles  R.  Thorne,  Jr.,  had  been  engaged 
for  the  first  position,  and  Mr.  Frank  Howson  for  the  second. 
Both  of  them  asked  to  be  excused  a  very  few  days  in  advance 
of  the  opening,  on  account  of  having  much  more  flattering 
offers  in  New  York.  At  the  last  moment  Mr.  William  F. 
Burroughs  was  secured  in  Mr.  Thome's  place,  and  Mr.  Ferd 
Von  Olker  in  Mr.  Howson's  place.  There  were  minor  diffi- 
culties numerous  enough  to  discourage  ninety-nine  men  out 
of  one  hundred,  but  Mr.  Henderson  had  sufficient  pluck  to 
overcome  them.  The  following  account  of  the  opening  from 
the  Providence  Journal  of  Dec.  5,  1871,  will  give  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  occasion  : 

"The  long-desired  and  long  waited-for  Opera  House  for 
the  city  of  Providence  was  brilliantly  inaugurated  Last  even- 
ing. The  event  was  of  great  interest  to  our  citizens,  and  the 
locality  became  a  great  centre  of  attraction.  Long  beJ 
the  doors  were  opened  a  dense  crowd  gathered  upon  the  side- 
walk and  in  the  street  in  front  of  the  entrance,  evincing  much 
eagerness  to  obtain  an  early  admittance.  As  soon  as  an  op- 
portunity was  afforded  there  was  a  rapid  influx  of  people  to 
all   parts  of  the   house,  which   was   speedily  filled  with    an 

13 


194  HISTORY    OF    THE 

enthusiastic  auditory.  Before  the  commencement  of  the  per- 
formance it  was  thoroughly  packed.  All  seemed  in  excellent 
spirits,  and  everywhere  from  amid  the  buzz  of  voices  one 
might  overhear  expressions  of  surprise  and  pleasure  at  the 
beauty,  neatness  and  fitness  of  the  house  and  its  decorations. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  general  feeling  of  rejoicing  at  the  happy 
and  successful  completion  of  the  important  enterprise,  and 
the  taste  and  liberality  of  the  builders  received  unstinted 
praise." 

At  eight  o'clock  the  performance  of  the  evening  was  intro- 
duced with  a  national  overture  by  the  orchestra.  The  first- 
raising  of  the  curtain  was  greeted  by  hearty  cheers.  Upon 
the  stage  were  Col.  Henry  Lippitt,  President  of  the  Opera 
House  Association,  and  His  Honor  Mayor  Doyle.  Colonel 
Lippitt  delivered  a  formal  address,  giving  a  brief  history  of  the 
stage  in  Providence  up  to  that  time.  He  then  spoke  of  the 
strength  of  the  present  building,  its  arrangements  for  the 
extinguishing  of  fires,  modes  of  egress,  etc.  He  said  it  had 
been  built  from  its  foundation  in  ninety  working  days.  The 
lot  cost  $62,000,  the  building  proper,  $90,000,  the  stage  fur- 
niture, scenery,  etc.,  $20,000,  chairs,  furniture,  etc.,  $15,000, 
making  the  total  $187,000,  more  money  than  all  the  theatres 
that  had  been  built  in  the  city  had  cost  from  the  beginning. 
The  "  Star  Spangled  Banner  "  was  then  sung  by  the  stock 
company  very  creditably,  after  which  a  poem,  written  expressly 
for  the  occasion  by  Gen.  C.  C.  Van  Zandt,  was  read  by  E.  L. 
Tilton,  the  stage  manager.  Mayor  Doyle  and  Manager  Hen- 
derson then  made  appropriate  addresses. 

Following  is  the  poem  of  General  Van  Zandt  : 

Bright  fairy  Puck!  swifter  than  rifle  shot, 

Put  round  the  earth,  thy  girdle  span  of  light, 

And  tie  it  in  a  jewelled  lover's  knot; 

There  by  the  footlights — on  the  stage  to-night 

'Tis  done — it  swings  as  musical  as  chimes 

Of  "  sweet  bells  "  never  "jangling  out  of  tune," 

A  star-beam  ladder — how  the  fairy  climbs 

To  dress  his  elf  locks  in  the  mirror  moon. 

Now  Puck  !  leap  down  ;  don't  bump,  your  little  head 

On  the  proscenium,  you  may  break  a  bone — 

Or  singe  your  silver  wings,  or  voice,  instead 

By?<7/bv  falling  in  the  big  trombone; 

Here,  take  my  hand,  stretch  up  on  your  tip-toe, 

Stop  winking  at  the  girls — the  men  will  hiss! 

You've  lived  forever!  now  I  want  to  know 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  95 

What  Roger  Williams  would  have  thought  of  this  ? 
Why  !  when  he  landed  on  the  Seekonk  shore 
The  Indians  said  "  What   Cheer?"  and  it's  but  fair 
That  if  he  was  with  us  now  once  more, 
He'd  say  "  I'll  take  the  best  orchestra  chair  !  " 
For,  after  his  long  life,  so  orthodox — 
His  very  bones  don't  fill  a.  private  box, 
Yet  I  believe  that  stalwart  Baptist  bore, 
Wit  brightening  wisdom's  'neath  his  thatch  of  gray, 
And  would  have  loved  the  stage,  and  cried  encore! 
Although  he  travelled  in  another  way. 
Never  by  stage — but  made  tracts  on  the  shore. 
Come,  Puck!   trot  out  your  memories  from  their  cloisters. 
These  opening  nights  are  death  to  rhymes  and  oysters. 

Throwing  up  his  dimpled  heels, 
Turning  somersaults  and  wheels, 
Every  feather  in  his  wings, 
Like  a  song-bird  trills  and  sings; 
Dancing  eyes,  like  diamonds  bright, 
Tangled  curls  of  sun-rise  light, 
Teeth  as  white  as  snowdrops  are, 
Laugh  like  music  from  a  star, 
Cheeks  as  red  as  sunset  hue, 
Breath  like  violets  wet  with  dew, 
Little  Puck  paints  fair  and  fast, 
Mystic  pictures  from  the  past. 

My  Lords  and  Ladies,  for  upon  my  word, 

Each  Yankee  is  a  Lady  or  a  Lord ; 

The  night  was  dark,  a  gale  was  rising  fast, 

And  Newport's  spires  quivered  in  the  blast, 

When,  in  a  little  building  by  the  shore, 

Half  deafened  by  the  Equinoctial  roar, 

A  band  of  players  from  across  the  sea, 

Acted  a  queer,  old-fashioned  comedy  — 

Giving  their  earnings  to  sweet  charity. 

There  first  upon  our  fields  the  buskin  trod, 

Where  beaded  moccasins  had  pressed  the  sod. 

And  there,  a  century  since,  the  fair  Muse  bore 

Her  first  glad  offering  on  New  England's  shore. 

Your  city  has  a  pleasant  pictured  page, 

In  history  for  her  annals  of  the  Stage, 

Radiant  with  stars,  how  brilliant  seems,  for60 

The  kingly  splendor  of  the  elder  Booth; 

Whether  with  tragedy  he  rent  the  air, 

Or,  with  a  tender  pathos,  rich  and 

Gave  a  new  music  to  the   Lord'6  own  prayer. 

Old  men  are  living  now,  who  loved  to  n 

George  Frederick  Cooke  upon  the  busj  street, 

Heard   Hackett  roar  in  Falsi, ij,  or  ; 

Finn  flash  his  wit's  electric-pointed  lai 

Seen  Charles  Roan's  Hamlet,  and  you; 

And  mad  Joe  Cowell  play  his  pranks  80 queer, 


I96  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Heard  Conway's  voice,  who  sleeps  beneath  the  wave, 

Or  Hazard's  fire,  quenched  in  an  early  grave, 

Or  Charlotte  Cushman,  seem  the  blood  to  freeze 

In  gaunt,  prophetic,  weird  Meg  Merrilies. 

Here  Taglioni  whirled  in  firefly  maze, 

Madame  Augusta  flashed  between  the  plays. 

Or  Fanny  Ellsler's  sweet,  bewitching  glance, 

Made  hearts  beat  cadence  to  her  airy  dance. 

And  later  still,  came  Howard,  Forbes  and  Drew, 

The  Palmers'  grassy  mound  is  wet  with  dew. 

Old  Pardey's  nights  were  crowned  with  an  encore, 

And  Varrey  "  set  the  table  on  a  roar." 

Grace  strode  the  stage  superbly  rich  in  health, 

Now  he  lies  palsied — aid  him  from  your  wealth! 

Three  times  the  fire-fiend  flung  his  blazing  torch 

Against  the  lintels  of  the  Thespian  porch. 

Three  times  the  Drama  sank  in  dark  eclipse, 

The  very  fruit  was  ashes  on  the  lips. 

A  truce  to  memories!     We  have  come  to-night, 

With  bursts  of  music  and  a  flood  of  light, 

To  dedicate  to  the  Historic  Muse 

This  splendid  temple  ;  not  alone  we  choose 

To  garland  her  white  limbs  and  crown  her  head 

With  flowers  plucked  from  the  past,  but  we  instead 

Would  nightly  on  this  mimic  stage  rehearse, 

Great  thoughts  embalmed  in  purest  prose  and  verse, 

And  elevate  the  drama  from  a  trade, 

To  what  it  was  when  Shakespeare  wrote  and  played, 

Call  a  glad  smile  to  lips  grown  white  with  care; 

Show  virtue  radiant  as  she  is  fair. 

Act  comedies  culled  from  "  the  golden  age," 

Retouch  with  living  hues  each  master's  page; 

Call  Garrick's  spirit  from  across  the  sea, 

And  Siddons,  stately  Queen  of  Tragedy. 

Then  Science,  Art,  the  Drama,  linked  will  stand, 

The  Sister  Graces  of  this  Western  Land. 

The  play  selected  for  the  opening  was  "  Fashion,"  written 
by  Miss  Anna  Cora  Mowatt.     The  cast  was  as  follows  : 

Adam  Trueman,       .         .         Mr.  Milton  Rainsford. 


Count  Jolimaitre, 

Col.  Howard, 

Mr.  Tiffany, 

T.  Tennyson  Twinkle, 

Augustus  Fogg, 

J.  Timpkins, 

Gordon, 

Snobson, 


H.  L.  Bascomb. 
Mark  Price. 
W.  A.  Donaldson. 
S.  Phileo. 
W.  C.  Raymond, 
W.  Part  el  lo. 
J.  M.  Allison, 
W.  P.  Sheldon. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  I  97 


Zeke, 

Gertrude, 

Millinette, 

Prudence, 

Mrs.  Tiffany, 

Seraph ina  Tiffany, 

Angelica, 

Miss  Gordina, 


Mr.  \Y.  W.  Moreland. 
Miss  Isadore  Cameron. 
Mrs.  Nellie  Morant  Bowen. 
Miss  Ada  Monk. 
Miss  Isabella  Preston. 
Miss  Anita  Harris. 
Miss  R.  Rainsford. 
Miss  E.  Rainsford. 


The  play  was  not  the  best  that  might  have  been  chosen, 
but  it  was  selected  because  it  gave  the  ladies  an  opportunity 
to  show  some  handsome  dresses. 

The  original  stockholders  of  the  Opera  House  were  :  Wm. 
Henderson,  Henry  Lippitt,  Earl  P.  Mason,  Wm.  S.  Slater, 
Lyman  B.  Frieze,  Christopher  Lippitt,  Alfred  Anthony,  Henry 
J.  Steere,  Wm.  Butler,  Francis  S.  Brownell,  Wm.  H.  Rey- 
nolds, Henry  C.  Clarke,  Martin  C.  Stokes,  John  T.  Mauran, 
James  Eddy,  Albert  C.  Eddy,  H.  A.  Hidden,  Wm.  D.  Davis, 
Caleb  Seagraves,  Wm.  B.  Wightman,  Henry  G.  Russell, 
John  Carter  Brown,  Moses  B.  I.  Goddard,  Alfred  Read,  S. 
Henry  Angell,  Henry  L.  Fairbrother,  Edmund  Davis,  B.  F. 
Thurston. 

The  second  night  of  the  season  there  was  a  great  contrast 
in  the  audience,  the  house  being  not  more  than  two-thirds  oc- 
cupied. Fears  were  expressed  that  it  was  going  to  be  a  fail- 
ure after  all,  but  from  that  night  on  until  the  season  was 
nearly  closed  crowded  houses  were  the  rule,  and  at  the  matinees 
the  "  standing  room  only"  sign  was  almost  invariably  dis- 
played. 

Mr.  W.  F.  Burroughs,  the  leading  man,  joined  the  com- 
pany at  the  beginning  of  the  second  week,  when  the 
"  Romance  of  a  Poor  Young  Man  "  was  produced.  He- 
made  a  "hit"  at  once,  and  was  a  great  favorite  throughout 
the  season.  Nearly  all  of  the  other  members  became  quite 
popular,  especially  Misses  Cameron  and  Monk,  and  Messrs. 
Sheldon  andTilton. 

Stars  were  unnecessary  that  season,   but   Mr.   Henderson 
made  some  sacrifices  in   order  to  allow  his   patrons    to 
Parepa  Rosa  in  opera,  and  Charlotte  Cushman.     The  former 
came  January  29,  30,  31,  1872,  in  "Trovatore,"  " Satanella," 
and  "Don  Giovanni,"  and  the  latter  May  29th,    30th,   31st, 


I98  HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  June  1st  and  3d  in  "Henry  VIII."  and  "Guy  Manner- 
ing."  The  most  popular  plays  of  the  season  were  "  Rose- 
dale,"  "  Dot,"  "  Divorce,"  "  Honeymoon,"  and  "  Ours."  The 
season  continued  with  one  or  two  short  intervals,  until  August 
10th,  Geo.  L.  Fox,  with  his  "  Humpty  Dumpty  "  being  there 
the  last  week. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

1872-1873. 

FlEST     APPEARANCE    IIERE    OF    FANNY     JaNAUSCHEK— SKETCH  OF    Hi  I. 

Dramatic  Career— Harrington's  Opera  House  has  a  Number 
of  Good  Attractions— Second  Season  at  the  Peovtdeni  i. 
Opera  House— First  Appearance  at  this  house  of  Edavin  Booth- 
First  AND  ONLY  APPEARANCE  IN  PitOVIDKNCE  OF  ADELAIDE  NEILSOH 

—Sketch  of  Miss  Neit.son-The  "Froo  Opeba"-Long  engagemeki  - 
of  stars— The  third  season  brings  hard  work  for  the  stock 
company— First  appearance  of  the  Vokes  Family— Sketch  of 
J.  K.  Emmet. 

EVEN  with  its  great  advantages  the  Providence  Opera 
House  did  not  by  any  means  have  a  monopoly  of  the 
best  of  the  dramatic  and  lyric  entertainments  in  1872, 
for  Harrington's  Opera  House  continued  to  get  many  of 
the  leading  stars  and  combinations,  and  they  were  patron- 
ized in  accordance  with  their  merits.  J.  K.  Emmet  came  to 
the  latter  house  January  1st  with  "Fritz."  Fanny  Jan au- 
schek  made  her  first  appearance  in  this  city  at  that  house 
January  9th,  in  "  Mary  Stuart  "  and  "Deborah."  This  greal 
actress  is  a  Bohemian,  and  was  born  in  Prague,  July  20,  1830. 
She  made  her  American  debut  at  the  Academy  of  Music, 
New  York,  as  Medea,  Oct.  9,  1867.  It  is  said  that  her  early 
life  was  one  of  privation  and  hardship,  but  that  her  intel 
triumphed  at  last,  and  from  her  dibut  as  Tpkigenia,  at  Frank- 
fort in  1848,  her  success  has  been  assured.  For  twelve y< 
she  was  a  favorite  in  that  city,  and  subsequently  appeared  in 
Dresden  and  other  cities  of  Germany.  At  Moscow  the  em- 
peror gave  her  a  diadem  of  diamonds,  and  her  jewels  are  said 
to  exceed  in  value  those  of  any  actress  on  the  stage.  Up  to 
1871  she  performed  only  in  German,  but  aftei  a  return  to 
Germany  and  a  tour  of  the  continent,  she  determined  to 
in  English,  and  has  done  so  with  greal  success.  Jan 
has  been  justly  styled  a  grand   actress.      Lacking    the   finish 


200  HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  grace  of  Ristori  and  Rachel,  she  has  excelled  in  the  mas- 
sive strength  of  her  personations.  She  is  a  disciple  of  what 
is  termed  the  Northern  school  of  art,  and,  as  such,  knows  no 
equal  in  America.  The  heroic  roles  are  hers  by  right,  al- 
though in  more  trifling  parts  she  has  shown  herself  an  artist. 
Among  the  characters  enacted  by  her  with  success  have  been 
Adrienne,  Medea,  Marie  Stuart,  Brunhild,  Bianca,  Deborah, 
Emilia  Galotti,  Elizabeth,  Lady  Macbeth,  Catherine  II,  Her- 
mione,  Queen  Katherine,  Iphigenia  and  the  dual  role  of  Lady 
Dedlock  and  Hortcnsc. 

January  16th,  17th,  E.  A.  Sothern  appeared  as  Lord  Dun- 
dreary, supported  by  D.  J.  Maguinnis,  Shirley  France,  Louis 
Aldrich,  C.  Leslie  Allen,  Rachael  Noah,  Clara  Poole,  Dora 
Goldthwaite,  etc.;  January  27th,  Frank  Mayo  ;  29th,  Butler 
Pantomime  Company ;  February  3d,  John  Murray ;  6th,  Jane 
Coombs;  12th,  Mrs.  G.  C.  Howard;  16th,  17th,  Christine 
Nilsson,  with  Annie  Louise  Cary  and  Brignoli ;  22d,  Stra- 
kosch  Company,  with  Victor  Capoul,  Marie  Leon  Duval, 
Annie  Louise  Cary,  in  "  Fra  Diavolo  ;  "  23d,  24th,  Mile  Zoe  ; 
26th,  five  nights,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Florence  ;  March  2d, 
Albert  W.  Aiken;  7th,  8th,  9th,  Martinetti-Ravel  troupe; 
nth,  1 2th,  Maggie  Mitchell,  prior  to  her  departure  for  Cali- 
fornia; nth,  Buffalo  Bill  ;  22d,  Oliver  Doud  Byron;  29th, 
Mrs.  John  Wood,  in  "Poll"  and  "Partner  Joe,"  supported 
by  Rachel  Noah,  George  W.  Wilson  and  H.  S.  Murdoch ; 
May  6th,  Tony  Pastor,  13th,  week,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  L. 
Hall  ;  21st,  22d,  Mile.  Aimee,  first  appearance  in  Providence  ; 
25th,  Yankee  Locke  ;  June  3d,  benefit  of  John  Murray  ;  17th, 
Joseph  Proctor  ;  July  3d,  4th,  Kate  Reignolds  ;  10th,  compli- 
mentary benefit  to  Lin  W.  Harris  of  this  city  ;  August  20th, 
Oliver  Doud  Byron  ;  20th,  Mrs.  Howard ;  September  2d,  3d, 
4th,  5th,  George  L.  Fox;  9th,  Tony  Pastor;  13th,  14th, 
Lawrence  Barrett,  in  "Julius  Cassar,"  and  "Man  o'  Airlie ; " 
1 8th,  Mrs.  Macready;  26th,  27th,  28th,  Maggie  Mitchell; 
October  10th,  J.J.  McCloskey;  nth,  12th,  Gen.  Tom  Thumb 
and  wife,  with  Commodore  Nutt  and  Minnie  Warren  ;  Novem 
ber4th,  5th,  Lydia Thompson  ;  nth,  12th,  Leo  Hudson  ;  18th, 
Little  Nell;  21st,  Ada  Harland  ;  December  2d,  "Black 
Crook,"  for  two  weeks  ;  28th,  30th,  John  Thompson. 

The  second  season  of  the  Providence  Opera  House,  which 
opened  Sept.  7,  1872,  ran  continuously  until  July  10,  1873,  or 


PROVIDENXE    STAGE.  201 

about  forty-two  weeks.  This  second  season  was  a  notable 
one  in  many  ways.  It  brought  many  good  stars,  some  excel- 
lent plays,  and  some  of  the  stars  played  long  engagements. 
Mr.  J.  E.  Whiting  was  the  leading  man.  Miss  Isadore  Cam- 
eron was  the  leading  lady  for  the  first  part  of  the  season,  but 
she  retired  and  gave  place  to  her  sister,  Victoria,  who  di- 
vided the  honors  with  Marie  Bates,  the  latter  coming  to  the 
company  when  the  season  was  well  advanced.  Nellie  Young 
was  the  soubrette,  and  Frederic  O.  Smith,  now  Frederick 
Bryton,  was  also  a  member.  The  stock  company  opened 
with  "  Eustache,"  a  French  play,  and  rather  a  weak  one.  It 
was  put  on  mainly  to  give  the  soubrette  and  comedian  an  op- 
portunity to  display  their  ability.  The  stock  company  played 
uninterruptedly  until  October  30th,  when  Miss  Charlotte 
Cushman,  accompanied  by  J.  B.  Booth,  came  for  four  per- 
formances. Mr.  W.  E.  Sheridan  was  also  added  to  the  cast. 
After  Miss  Cushman,  the  stock  company  continued  again 
until  November  22d,  with  "Article  47."  Then  Edwin  Booth 
came  for  one  week,  supported  by  the  stock,  with  the  addition 
of  Frank  Bangs,  Bella  Pateman,  R.  Dorsey  Ogden  and  Char- 
lotte Crampton.  The  best  of  society  came  out  during  that 
engagement,  and  the  house  was  crowded  every  night.  The 
next  star  was  Jean  Burnside,  tall  and  stately,  but  rather  ama- 
teurish in  acting.  She  was  a  society  lady  of  New  York,  and 
I  believe  she  is  still  on  the  stage,  but  in  a  rather  humble 
capacity.  J.  M.  Ward  and  Winnetta  Montague  followed.  The 
latter  was  very  handsome,  but  not  a  good  drawing  card.  F. 
S.  Chanfrau  and  Carlotta  Leclercq  followed,  each  for  a  week. 
The  former  had  packed  houses,  but  the  latter  did  not.  The 
stock  company  produced  "Saratoga"  in  an  elaborate  man- 
ner. This  was  the  first  of  Bronson  Howard's  plays  which 
made  a  success.  Pauline  Lucca,  the  distinguished  prima 
donna,  came  with  an  excellent  company  and  produced 
"  Faust  "  and  "Trovatore."  Lester  Wallack  made  his  first 
appearance  at  the  Opera  House  February  10th,  remaining  foi 
a  week  to  crowded  nouses.  The  next  star  was  the  famous 
Adelaide  Neilson,  who  played  her  first  and  only  engagement 
here  on  that  occasion.  Her  characters  were  Juliet  and  Rosa- 
lind. She  was  sought  after  and  entertained  by  several  dis- 
tinguished families  during  her  stay  here,  and  one  lady  gave  an 
immense  reception  in  her  honor,  two  or  three  hundred  people 


202  HISTORY    OF    THE 

being  present.  Miss  Neilson  did  not  arrive  there  until  about 
midnight. 

Lillian  Adelaide  Neilson  (born  1850,  died  1880),  was  a 
native  of  Saragossa,  her  father  being  a  Spaniard  and  her 
mother  English.  She  appeared  upon  the  stage  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  as  Julia  in  "The  Hunchback."  During  the  next  few 
years  she  enacted  a  number  of  characters  successfully.  In 
1872  she  reappeared  as  Juliet  in  the  maturity  of  her  powers, 
and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  finest  exponents  of  Shaks- 
perian  female  characters  that  the  modern  English  stage  had 
produced.  Her  career  in  the  United  States  was  one  of  extra- 
ordinary success.  She  visited  this  country  three  times,  re- 
turning the  last  time  in  1880  to  Paris,  where  she  died. 

Another  great  event  of  that  season  was  the  first  produc- 
tion of  the  "  Frog  Opera  "  by  amateurs.  This  was  the  24th 
and  25th  of  February,  1873.  Miss  Blanche  Vaughn,  of  this 
city,  made  her  first  appearance  on  the  stage  on  this  occasion. 
Since  that  time  she  has  made  a  good  stage  record.  The 
"  Frog  Opera  "  attracted  crowded  houses  and  "  swell  "  audi- 
ences. Mrs.  Oates  came  March  17th  with  the  best  company 
she  ever  had  with  her.  She  jumped  into  immediate  favor,  had 
houses  crowded  to  the  utmost  capacity  for  a  week,  and  came 
back  at  the  end  of  the  month  with  the  same  success.  For 
several  seasons  she  played  two  engagements  each  season,  of 
one  week  each,  and  always  to  full  houses.  No  star  was  more 
popular  than  she  at  that  time,  but  in  later  years  she  failed  to 
draw  even  at  a  much  cheaper  house.  She  was  born  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  Sept.  29,  1849,  and  was  educated  in  a  convent. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Merritt.  She  had  a  -dashing  style, 
with  the  chic  of  a  French  artist.  She  was  married  three 
times.  During  the  latter  part  of  her  career  she  grew  to  be 
very  stout. 

The  other  stars  who  came  that  season  were  Lillian  Eld- 
ridge,  Charles  R.  Thorne,  Jr.,  J.  W.  Albaugh  and  wife  (the 
latter  being  a  sister  of  Maggie  Mitchell),  John  E.  Owens,  F. 
S.  Chanfrau,  Baker  and  Farron,  Kate  Fisher,  and  George  L. 
Fox.  Messrs.  Thorne,  Wallack,  and  Chanfrau  each  played 
two  weeks  continuously  to  large  houses,  and  Kate  Fisher's 
engagement  was  extended  to  three  weeks.  This  was  Baker 
&  Farron's  first  visit  to  Providence  as  stars,  but  they  became 
so  popular  that  every  successive  visit  of  theirs  for  years  was 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  2C>3 

certain  to  command  crowded  houses.  Taken  as  a  whole,  the 
season  might  be  called  good,  bad,  and  indifferent.  The  stock 
company  had  no  great  successes  such  as  in  the  previous  sea- 
sons, "  Saratoga  "  being  the  only  play  which  brought  out  full 
houses.  Some  of  the  members  lost  money  when  they  took 
their  benefits,  while  only  two  of  the  eight  who  tried  this 
means  of  adding  to  their  income  made  a  complete  success. 

The  third  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House  was  prob- 
ably as  full  of  hard  work  as  the  members  of  any  stock  com- 
pany ever  experienced.  They  were  frequently  obliged  to 
study  a  new  play  for  every  night  in  the  week,  as  they  sup- 
ported all  the  dramatic  stars  who  came  that  season,  with  the 
exception  of  Salvini.  To  give  an  illustration  of  what  was 
done,  it  is  only  necessary  to  state  that  the  number  of  plays  and 
operas  presented  in  the  forty-two  weeks  was  136.  The  com- 
pany consisted  of  Misses  Isadore  Cameron,  Nellie  Jones,  M. 
A.  Pennoyer,  Victoria  Cameron,  Jennie  Bryant,  Alice  Marie, 
Mrs.  W.  P.  Sheldon,  Monte  Ransom,  Ida  Phillips,  Lizzie 
Aldrich,  Misses  Fairman  and  Knapp,  and  Messrs.  Edwin  F. 
Thorne,  E.  L.  Tilton,  W.  A.  Donaldson,  W.  P.  Sheldon,  J. 
Burrows,  J.  L.  Ashton,  J.  E.  Ince,  H.  L.  Bascomb,  Frank  Cot- 
ter, F.  O.  Smith,  J.  Chrystal,  M.  Millwood,  Messrs.  Deering 
and  Thomas.  The  regular  season  opened  September  10th 
with  "  Town  and  Country."  There  was  a  brief  preliminary 
season  in  which  J.  VV.  Albaugh  and  wife  appeared,  supported 
by  their  Albany  company,  and  J.  H  Stoddart  came  as  a  star, 
supported  by  Rockwell  &  Ringgold's  company.  In  the  latter 
were  Miss  lone  Burke,  a  pleasing  vocalist,  and  Miss  Julia 
Gaylord,  who  has  since  become  famous  in  Europe  as  a  prima 
donna  in  Carl  Rosa's  company.  The  stock  company  strug- 
gled for  several  weeks  with  such  plays  as  "  Pizarro,"  "  Money 
and  Misery,"  "  Oliver  Twist,"  "  Black  Eyed  Susan,"  "  Peril," 
"Far  West,""  Sea  of  Ice,"  "  Ragpicker  of  Paris,"  "Ben 
Bolt,"  "London  After  Dark,"  "  Brother  Bill  and  Me,"  "  Wil- 
low Copse,"  "Flying  Dutchman,"  " Nick  of  the  Woods," 
"  The  Assassin  Husband,"  "  Moll  Pitcher,"  "  Michael  El 
"Last  Days  of  Pompeii,"  "Yankee  Jack,"  "  Workmen  of 
New  York,"  "  Rosina  Meadows,"  "Robert  Macai 
"Trumps,"  "Dick  Turpin,"  "Nick  Whiffles,"  "Battl<  oi 
Fredericksburg,"  etc.  The  audiences  were  no!  large,  except 
in  the  gallery,  during  the   production  of  these  plays,  and   it 


204  HISTORY    OF    THE 

was  quite  a  relief  when  Pauline  Lucca  came  with  her  opera 
company  for  one  evening,  October  24th.  After  that  the  stock 
kept  on  until  December  1st,  when  Mrs.  Oates  came  for  a 
week,  with  her  usual  success.  She  was  followed  by  Edwin 
Booth,  who  played  two  weeks  successively  to  crowded  houses, 
presenting  a  different  play  at  nearly  every  performance.  He 
was  supported  by  the  regular  stock  company,  and  with  their 
study,  rehearsals  and  performances  they  had  little  time  to 
sleep  and  eat  those  two  weeks,  and  none  at  all  for  pleasure. 

The  next  star  was  J.  B.  Roberts,  who  presented  "Faust 
and  Marguerite,"  and  this  was  undoubtedly  the  poorest  en- 
gagement ever  played  by  any  star  in  Providence.  It  is 
doubtful  if  the  receipts  reached  $100  at  any  performance. 
He  gave  up  the  engagement  on  Friday  night.  Then  came 
Clara  Morris,  her  first  engagement  in  Providence.  She  ap- 
peared in  the  "  Geneva  Cross,"  and  met  with  great  success, 
financially  and  artistically.  Frank  Mayo,  Mrs.  Chanfrau,  E.  L. 
Davenport,  Jane  Coombs,  Christine  Nilsson,  the  Majiltons, 
Yankee  Locke,  Ettie  Henderson,  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  F. 
S.  Chanfrau,  Edwin  Adams,  Salvini,  Carlotta  Leclercq,  Lydia 
Thompson,  Kate  Fisher  and  Hernandez  Foster  were  the 
other  stars  of  that  season.  The  Vokes  Family  made  their  first 
appearance  here  March  16,  1874,  and  created  2. furore.  Stand- 
ing room  was  at  a  premium  during  the  engagement  and 
each  subseqent  engagement  of  this  family  was  equally  suc- 
cessful. 

The  grand  operas  presented  that  season  were  as  follows  : 
Lucca,  "  Favorita  ;  "  Christine  Nilsson,  "Huguenots"  and 
"Martha;"  Kellogg,  "Marriage  of  Figaro,"  "Faust"  and 
"  Bohemian  Girl."  All  of  these  were  liberally  patronized  and 
all  at  largely  increased  prices.  The  best  seats  during  Nils- 
son's  engagement  were  $4  each,  and  not  less  than  $2  when 
the  other  artists  named  were  here. 

The  benefits  to  members  of  the  stock  company  were  as 
disastrous  as  they  were  the  previous  season.  Mr.  F.  O. 
Smith,  was,  however,  quite  successful,  because  Mr.  Dennis 
O'Reilly  appeared  upon  that  occasion  as  Gaston  in  the  "  Iron 
Mask." 

The  principal  attractions  in  Harrington's  Opera  House  in 
1873  were  as  follows  :  January  15th,  16th,  17th,  18th,  Wallace 
Sisters'  Burlesque  Company;  January  18th,  19th,  20th,  Buf- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  205 

falo  Bill,  with  Texas  Jack  and  Ned  Buntline  ;  February  24th, 
25th,  26th,  Robert  McWade  ;  March  3d,  4th,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dion  Boucicault  in  "  Kerry,"  "  Night  and  Morning,"  etc.  ; 
February  6th,  Little  Nell  ;  February  19th,  Joseph  Jefferson  ; 
April  1  st,  Janauschek  in  "  Chesney  Wold  ;  "  April  16th,  17th, 
Maggie  Mitchell  ;  April  18th,  19th,  Tony  Pastor  ;  April  22d, 
23d,  John  Murray  in  "  Man  Without  a  Country  ;  "  May  7th, 
John  C.  Robinson  ;  May  12th,  13th,  14th,  J.  H.  Budworth  ; 
May  22d,  23d,  Oliver  Doud  Byron  ;  August  25th,  Helen 
Temple  in  "  New  Magdalen  ;  "  September  5th,  6th,  Little 
Nell ;  September  9th,  10th,  Lucille  Western  ;  September  1  ith, 
Clara  Norris  ;  September  13th,  Maffiitt  and  Bartholomew  ; 
September  22d,  23d,  Tremaine  Brothers  ;  September  27th, 
Boston  Dramatic  Company  ;  October  3d,  4th,  Lydia  Thomp- 
son ;  October  13th,  14th,  15th,  George  L.  Fox  in  "Around 
the  Clock,"  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  etc.  ;  October 
23d,  Mrs.  Howard  ;  October  31st,  Lotta  ;  November  5th,  6th, 
Mile.  Zoe  ;  November  12th,  J.  K.  Emmet;  December  1st, 
Salvini,  in  "  The  Gladiator  ;  "  December  2d,  Vokes  Family  ; 
December  25th,  C.  T.  Parsloe  in  "  Streets  of  New  York." 

J.  K.  Emmet  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March  13,  1841, 
and  died  at  Cornwall-on-the-Hudson,  June  15,  1S91.  His 
first  occupation  was  that  of  a  sign  painter,  and  he  then  be- 
came a  drummer  boy  in  the  army.  Shortly  afterward  he  tried 
to  do  a  German  specialty  in  Cincinnati,  and  was  so  success- 
ful that  he  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  an  engagement.  In 
1868  he  played  with  Dan  Bryant's  minstrels  in  New  York, 
and  became  a  great  favorite  in  character  songs  in  German 
dialect.  Then  he  appeared  in  a  play  written  for  him  by 
Charles  Gayler,  and  soon  rose  to  fame  and  fortune.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  he  was  worth  upwards  of  half  a  million  of  dollars. 
His  songs  at  one  time  were  sung  all  over  the  country.  His 
histrionic  success  was  largely  due  to  his  genial  face,  sympa- 
thetic manner,  his  innate  love  of  fun  and  the  sweet  voice 
with  which  he  sang  his  own  songs.  He  had  many  imitators 
but  no  equals.  For  twenty  years  he  maintained  his  phenom- 
enal prosperity  against  all  comers  and  in  spite  oi  certain  draw- 
backs. He  was  beloved  by  children  and  an  immense  favoi 
with  women,  who  thronged  his  performances. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


1874-1875. 

Closing  of  Harrington's  Opkra  House  and  reopening  of  Acad- 
emy of  Music— Academy  partially  Destroyed  by  Fire— Fourth 
Season  at  Providence  Opera  House  begins  discouragingly— 
List  of  the  stock  company  and  stars— Great  Production  of 
the  "Two  Orphans"— John  T.  Raymond's  First  Appearance  as 
"Colonel  Sellers  "—Sketch  of  Mr.  Raymond  — Academy  of 
Music  Attractions— Several  new  stars  at  Providence  Opera 
House— Great  cast  of  "Julius  Cesar"— Mrs.  Siddons's  Great 
Week— Sketches  of  John  McCullough  and  Edwin  Adams. 


THERE  were  two  events  of  considerable  importance  in 
1874,  namely:  the  closing  of  Harrington's  Opera 
House,  and  the  reopening  of  the  Academy  of  Music. 
The  latter  had  been  closed  since  1871.  It  was  partially  de- 
stroyed by  fire  June  28,  1873,  but  the  damages  had  been 
repaired  and  the  house  was  again  in  competition.  There 
were  but  few  dramatic  attractions  upon  its  stage,  however, 
that  year.  Several  minstrel  companies,  a  few  variety  organ- 
izations, and  a  number  of  panoramas  were  the  occupants  of 
the  house.  Cole's  Dramatic  Company,  H.  G.  Clarke's  Com- 
pany, the  Boston  Theatre  Company,  Buffalo  Bill,  and  Charles 
T.  Howard's  Company  played  there  at  different  times  during 
the  year. 

Harrington's  Opera  House  continued  until  August  1st, 
when  Callender's  Minstrels  gave  the  closing  performance. 
The  attractions  at  this  house  that  year  were  as  follows :  Jan- 
uary 3d,  Tennie  C.  Claflin  as  Portia  ;  9th,  10th,  the  Lingards  ; 
1 6th,  Vtn>  Buffalo  Bill  ;  20th,  testimonial  benefit  to  Archie 
Stalker ;  26th,  Dollie  Bidwell ;  28th,  "  Black  Crook,"  recon- 
structed ;  February  23d,  Martinetti-Ravel ;  March  2d,  3d, 
Howard  Star  Company  ;  5th,  Howard,  Langrishe  and  Carle's 
"Black  Crook;"  9th,  E.  A.  Sothern  ;   16th,  "Ten  Nights  in 


PROVIDENCE  STAGE.  20~ 

a  Bar  Room,"  with  little  Minnie  Maddern,  Adah  Richmond, 
Gus  Williams  and  Harry  Bloodgood  in  the  cast  ;  April  ;th, 
Mrs.  Howard  as  Topsey ;  17th,  18th,  Tony  Pastor;  24th. 
Ada  Gray;  June  3d,  five  nights,  George  L.  Fox;  July  4th, 
Flora  Myers;  31st,  August  1st,  closing  night. 

The  first  half  of  the  fourth  season  at  the  Providence  Opera 
House  must  have  been  decidedly  discouraging  to  the  man- 
ager. There  was  hardly  one  good  house  during  the  first  three 
months.  Melodrama,  military  drama,  society  plays,  comedies, 
tragedies,  farces  were  all  tried  for  several  weeks,  but  failed 
to  "catch  on."  The  preliminary  season  opened  August  24th, 
with  the  "Seven  Dwarfs,"  which  was  presented  by  a  good 
company,  but  failed  to  draw.  The  Majiltons  followed,  with  a 
little  better  success.  Then  came  the  "Mirror  of  Ireland," 
to  weak  houses.  The  regular  stock  opened  on  Saturday 
evening,  September  12th.  The  principal  members  were  J. 
C.  Padgett,  W.  F.  Burroughs,  Sid  Smith,  H.  C.  Norman, 
Walter  Treville,  F.  G.  Cotter,  Harry  Harwood,  Emmie  Wil- 
mot,  Lizzie  Mahon,  Belle  Bailey  and  M.  A.  Pennoyer.  The 
opening  plays  were  "Woman  Keeps  a  Secret,"  and  "  Snow- 
Bird. "  Other  plays  which  immediately  followed  were  "Clouds," 
"Griffith  Gaunt,"  "Blow  for  Blow,"  "Little  Emily,"  "School 
for  Scandal,"  "  Frou  Frou,"  "Foul  Play,"  "Not  Guilty," 
"  Flash  of  Lightning,"  etc.  Not  one  of  these  was  what  might 
be  called  a  success,  and  the  manager  must  have  been  consid- 
erably out  of  pocket. 

The  Vokes  F'amily  came  for  a  single  night,  October  3d, 
and  that  was  the  first  full  house  of  the  season.  Maffit  and 
Bartholomew,  and  the  Stoddard  Company,  which  followed, 
played  to  only  fair  audiences.  Barney  Williams,  the  greal 
Irish  comedian,  who  had  hitherto  been  so  popular  here  that 
crowded  houses  always  awaited  him,  gave  up  his  week's  en 
gagement  at  the  end  of  the  third  night, telling  Manager  Hen 
derson  that  it  was  no  use  for  him  to  go  on  further;  that  it 
was  evident  the  public  didn't  want  him.  and  lie  didn't  want 
any  manager  to  lose  mone)  on  his  a<  count. 

Mr.  Henderson  recovered  a  port  ion  ol  his  losses  when 
Mrs.  Oates  came,  and  still  more  when  Janauschek  followed 
soon  after.  About  the  last  oi  December  business  materiall) 
improved.  Baker  and  Farron  came  for  two  weeks  to  lull 
houses,  Lester  Wallack  followed  lor  eight  nights,  to  crowded 


208  HISTORY  OF  THE 

audiences.  Frank  Mayo  succeeded  with  "Davy  Crockett," 
which  was  then  in  its  infancy.  He  remained  a  second  week, 
with  "The  Streets  of  New  York."  Then  came  the  great 
stock  company  success,  equal  to  anything  ever  known.  It 
was  the  "Two  Orphans."  People  were  turned  away  at 
every  one  of  the  sixteen  performances  given  of  it.  Thous- 
ands still  remember  how  well  the  characters  seemed  to  fit 
those  who  impersonated  them  ;  how  well  Lizzie  Mahon  en- 
acted the  blind  Louise ;  with  what  force  Emmie  Wilmot 
impersonated  Henriette ;  what  a  glorious  Mother  Frochard 
Mrs.  Pennoyer  made  ;  what  a  villainous  Jacques  Mr.  Treville 
gave  ;  what  success  Messrs.  Burroughs  and  Padgett  met  with, 
and  they  also  remember  that  the  scenic  display  was  by  far 
the  best  that  Mr.  Henderson  had  ever  given.  The  run  of 
the  piece  would  have  been  much  longer  but  for  its  inter- 
ruption by  previous  engagements  with  stars.  It  was  put  on 
again  near  the  close  of  the  season,  but  it  was  after  the 
weather  had  become  too  warm  for  most  of  the  theatre- 
goers. 

One  of  the  events  of  that  season  was  the  appearance  of 
the  Kellogg  Opera  troupe  for  a  whole  week.  The  houses 
were  crowded,  and  seats  in  the  parquette  readily  sold  for  $2 
each.  The  operas  given  were  "  Fra  Diavolo,"  "Trovatore," 
"Mignon,"  "  Ernani,"  "  Faust,"  "Bohemian  Girl,"  and 
"Martha." 

March  31st,  April  1st  and  2d,  the  "  Game  of  Chess  "  was. 
brought  out  under  the  management  of  W.  S.  Daboll.     It  was 
repeated  April  19th. 

Lawrence  Barrett  played  a  good  week's  engagement  that 
season.  He  appeared  in  Shakspearian  plays  mostly,  but  on 
Friday  night  and  Saturday  afternoon  he  gave  his  masterly 
performance  of  Jamie  Harebell  in  the  "  Man  o'  Airlee,"  and 
at  the  matinee  there  were  a  large  number  of  church  people 
present,  who  go  to  the  theatres  only  about  once  in  ten  years. 

John  T.  Raymond  came  here  for  the  first  time  that  year  as 
a  star,  with  his  Colonel  Sellers.  Among  the  other  events  of 
the  season  were  the  last  appearance  here  of  Lucille  Western, 
and  the  first  and  only  appearance  of  Kate  Field.  Taken  al- 
together the  season  proved  one  of  average  profit  with  its  pred- 
ecessors, notwithstanding  the  bad  beginning. 

John  T.  Raymond  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1836. 


PROVIDE.N'CE     STAGE.  209 

His  right  name  was  John  O'Brien,  and  he  first  appeared  on 
the  stage  at  Rochester,  New  York,  as  Lopez,  in  "  The  Honey- 
moon," in  1S53.  The  first  part  that  brought  him  into  promi- 
nence was  Asa  Tvcnchard  in  "  Our  American  Cousin."  This 
character  may  be  said  to  have  made  Raymond,  as  much  as 
Lord  Dundreary  in  the  same  play  undoubtedly  made  Sothern. 
This  play  first  appeared  at  Laura  Keene's  Theatre,  New 
York,  in  1861.  One  of  his  greatest  successes  was  made  in 
Mark  Twain's  dramatized  version  of  his  "Gilded  Age."  He 
first  appeared  in  the  character  of  Colonel  Sellers  in  this  play 
in  1873,  and  its  success  was  everywhere  instantaneous,  and, 
in  spite  of  other  successes,  made  more  recently,  the  names 
of  Raymond  and  Colonel  Sellers  are  in  the  memory  of  play- 
goers of  this  generation  convertible  terms.  He  died  in  Evans- 
ville,  Indiana,  on  April  21,  1887. 

Having  no  opposition  other  than  the  Providence  Opera 
House  in  1875,  the  Academy  of  Music  was  frequently  occu- 
pied by  stars  and  travelling  combinations.  Among  the  dra- 
matic attractions  appearing  there  were  the  following  :  Jan- 
uary 9th,  Lingard  Comedy  Company ;  22d,  23d,  Wallace 
Sisters  ;  29th,  30th,  Grau  &  Chizzola's  Lyceum  Theatre 
Company;  February  25th,  26th,  27th,  John  Thompson's 
Company  ;  March  2d,  3d,  John  Stetson's  Howard  Athenaeum 
Company;  4th,  5th,  6th,  George  L.  Fox;  r  ith,  Barnabee 
Operetta  Company;  April  8,  Mme  Ristori  ;  19th,  20th, 
Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  Company  ;  23d,  24th,  Tony  Pastor  ; 
27th,  Archie  Stalker;  May  1st,  2d,  Bessie  Darling  Com- 
pany; September  nth,  Haymarket  Theatre  Company  ;  13th, 
14th,  15th,  Charlotte  Thompson;  October  8th,  9th,  10th, 
Harrigan  and  Hart ;  November  nth,  12th,  Fleming's  "  Around 
the  World  ;  "  December  25th,  T.  Charles  Howard.  Many  1  if 
these  companies  came  to  this  house  two  or  three  times  that 
season,  and  there  were  besides  a  large  number  of  minstrel 
companies,  etc. 

The  fifth  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House  wa 
of  the  most  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  house.  It  was 
not  only  the  first  appearance  at  that  house  of  the  ever  popu- 
lar star,  Maggie  Mitchell,  but  it  also  witnessed  the  first  ap- 
pearance thereof  John  McCullough,  of  George  Rignold,  ol 
Theresa   Titiens,   of    George   Honey,  of   the    great    cast    in 

14 


2IO  HISTORY    OF    THE 

"Julius  Caesar,"  of  Barry  Sullivan,  of  Buffalo  Bill,  of  Har- 
rigan  and  Hart,  of  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons,  etc.  The  majority 
of  these  stars  attracted  immense  audiences,  and  the  manager, 
Mr.  Henderson,  would  have  reaped  a  rich  harvest  but  for  the 
excessive  rent  which  he  had  to  pay  and  the  frequent  losses 
which  his  stock  company  made  for  him.  The  season  opened 
better  than  any  of  its  predecessors,  because  the  original 
Vokes  Family  was  there  the  first  week,  beginning  Septem- 
ber 6th.  They  had  made  themselves  known  to  Providence 
audiences  the  previous  year,  and,  although  the  weather  was 
decidedly  hot,  there  were  no  vacant  seats  during  their  en- 
gagement. They  were  all  there :  Jessie,  Victoria,  Rosina, 
Fred,  and  Fawdon,  and  their  patrons  enjoyed  their  "Belles 
in  the  Kitchen,"  "  Fun  in  a  Fog,"  "  The  Wrong  Man  in  the 
Right  Place,"  etc.  After  the  Vokes  came  the  stock  com- 
pany, the  principal  members  of  which  were  Ida  Savory,  Josie 
Bailey,  Nannie  Egberts,  Mrs.  Pennoyer,  Ada  Dow,  Ida 
Waterman,  William  H.  Power,  W.  P.  Sheldon,  E.  L.  Tilton, 
C.  A.  Stedman,  Walter  Treville,  I.  N.  Beers,  Harry  Harwood, 
and  H.  B.  Norman.  The  opening  was  on  Saturday  night, 
Sept.  n,  1875,  and  a  double  bill  was  presented,  namely: 
"Woman's  Life"  and  Wandering  Boys."  Manager  Hender- 
son was  favorable  to  Saturday  night  openings  for  some  rea- 
son or  other.  The  stock  company  did  not  make  any  sub- 
stantial success  during  the  season,  although  Miss  Ida  Savory, 
who,  by  the  way,  was  a  very  handsome  young  lady,  distin- 
guished herself  several  times  in  the  support  of  stars,  and 
also  won  merited  praise  by  her  superb  impersonation  of  Gal- 
atea in  the  play  of  "  Pygmalion  and  Galatea,"  as  well  as  by 
a  dialect  character  part  in  the  "  Cherry  Tree  Inn." 

As  previously  stated,  Maggie  Mitchell  played  her  first  en- 
gagement at  this  house  that  season,  and  she  had  a  succession 
of  crowded  houses.  Mrs.  Oates  followed  her  with  equal  suc- 
cess. Barry  Sullivan  came  after  a  week's  intermission,  and 
he  also  had  crowded  houses.  Then  came  the  Kellogg  Opera 
Company,  with  William  Castle,  Henry  Peakes,  Mrs.  Jennie 
Van  Zandt,  and  other  good  people.  The  operas  were  "  Mig- 
non  "  and  "Carmen."  The  "  Marriage  of  Figaro"  was  an- 
nounced, but  as  Miss  Kellogg  was  ill,  a  change  was  made. 
"  Henry  V.,"  with  the  handsome  George  Rignold,  was  one  of 
the  great  sensations  of  the  season.     It  was  one  of  the  most 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  2  I  I 

notable  productions  ever  witnessed  here.  There  were  up- 
wards of  forty  speaking  parts,  and  an  auxiliary  force  of  up- 
wards of  one  hundred  people.  The  scenery  was  very  hand- 
some, and  it  was  "the  talk  of  the  town."  Jarrett  &  Palm- 
er's "Two  Orphans"  Company,  with  Frank  Bangs,  Harry 
Weaver,  E.  K.  Collier,  Rosa  Rand,  Rose  Lisle  and  others, 
made  a  great  success  for  a  week.  No  less  a  success  was  John 
T.  Raymond,  who  followed.  Lawrence  Barrett  had  a  profit- 
able week,  beginning  December  13th.  Edwin  Adams  was 
one  of  the  stars  of  that  season,  but  his  business  was  not 
good.  F.  S.  Chanfrau  had  crowded  houses  for  two  weeks, 
and  among  the  characters  he  presented  was  that  of  S<r/t-w 
Scudder  in  the  "  Octoroon."  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons,  who  had 
not  been  on  the  histrionic  stage  for  some  time,  was  induced 
by  her  friends  to  accept  an  engagement.  Mr.  Henderson 
gave  her  $500  for  the  week,  and  probably  made  four  or  five 
times  that  amount  out  of  the  engagement,  as  the  house  was 
packed  at  every  performance,  and  at  the  Saturday  matinee 
hundreds  of  people  were  turned  away,  even  after  the  orches- 
tra members  had  been  removed  to  the  stage.  Among  the 
plays  which  she  presented  was  a  little  gem  entitled,  "  King 
Rene's  Daughter,"  in  which  she  took  the  part  of  Iolanthc,  a 
blind  girl.  Never  was  an  artist  more  heartily  applauded  by 
a  Providence  audience  than  she  was  on  that  occasion. 

E.  A.  Sothern,  accompanied  by  Linda  Dietz,  was  one  of 
the  very  profitable  stars  of  that  season.  Theresa  Titiens, 
the  great  operatic  artist,  came  with  the  support  of  Tom  Karl, 
Brignoli,  Tagliapietra,  and  others,  and  gave  "Norma"  and 
"Trovatore"  to  good  houses.  "Julius  Caesar,"  with  its 
great  cast,  Barrett  as  Cassias,  Bangs  as  Marc  Antony, 
Levick  as  Cczsar,  and  Davenport  as  Brutus,  were  here  May 
nth,  1 2th  and  13th,  1876,  with  houses  crowded  to  the  doors. 
Buffalo  Bill,  Texas  Jack  and  the  "peerless  Morlacchi" 
made  their  first  visit,  and  a  profitable  one  it  was.  Some  oi 
the  stars  who  came  that  season,  who  did  not  do  as  well  as 
those  mentioned  above,  were  Mrs.  D.  P.  Bowers,  Char) 
Thompson,  George  F.  Rowe,  E.  T.  Stetson  and  G< 
Honey.  One  other  attraction  which  remained  for  nine  nights, 
and  which  filled  the   houses  as  well  as  creatt  ensation, 

was  "Around   the  World    in    Eighty    Days."     This  was  its 
first  production  here,  and  it  was  a  grand  one  in  every  respi 


212  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

It  has  never  been  done  here  so  well  since  that  time.  The 
season  closed  June  3d,  having  continued  nearly  forty  weeks. 

John  McCullough  was  born  near  Londonderry  in  1832,  and 
was  brought  to  this  country  by  his  father  in  1842.  Joining 
an  amateur  association  in  Philadelphia,  he  made  his  debut  at 
the  Arch  Street  Theatre,  Aug.  15,  1857,  as  the  Servant  in 
"The  Belle's  Stratagem."  His  salary  as  an  actor  was  at  first 
four  dollars  a  week  ;  the  following  season  it  was  increased  to 
ten  dollars,  and  his  duties  extended  to  the  representation  of 
the  "  heavies."  In  1 860-1  he  was  at  the  Howard  in  Boston, 
under  Davenport,  and  the  following  season  engaged  to  sup- 
port Forrest,  and  was  with  him  until  1866.  In  that  year 
McCullough  took  up  his  abode  in  California,  managing  in 
San  Francisco  with  gratifying  success,  till  the  last  two  years 
he  remained  there,  when  he  lost  more  than  he  had  made.  No 
other  man  on  the  stage  ever  made  more  sincere  friends  than 
genial  John  McCullough.     He  died  in  1885. 

Edwin  Adams  was  born  at  Medford,  Mass.,  1834.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  promising  and  versatile  actors  that  ever  trod 
the  American  stage.  First  appeared  in  1853  at  the  National 
Theatre,  Boston,  as  Stephen  in  "  The  Hunchback,"  and  in 
1854  in  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  as 
Charles  Woodley  in  "The  Soldier's  Daughter."  He  made 
his  first  great  hit  in  Baltimore  in  1863  as  Enoch  Arden.  He 
became  famous  in  England  and  also  in  Australia,  in  Rover, 
Claude  Melnotte,  Frank  Hawthorne,  in  "  Men  of  the  Day  ;  " 
and,  after  his  health  began  to  fail,  he  showed  high  promise  in 
Adrian  in  "The  Heretic,"  and  in  Macbeth.  His  William  in 
"  Black  Eyed  Susan,"  was  very  fine.  He  died  at  Philadelphia 
Oct.  28,  1877,  aged  forty-three. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

1876-1877. 

Globe  Theatre  Company  in  "Our  Boys"— Great  Cast  of  "Julius 
Cesar"  for  a  Second  Time— .Sixth  Season  at  Providence 
Opera  House— Daly's  Company  in  "  Pique  "—Maggie  Mitchell 
Plays  Two  Weeks— First  appearance  of  Ada  Rehan  in  Provi- 
dence—Sketch  of  Miss  Rehan— Palmer's  Fine  Company  in  i  hi. 
"Danicheffs" —Sketch  of  Mary  Anderson— A  disgraceful 
occurrence  at  the  opera  house— Sketch  of  X.  C.  Goodwin. 

THERE  were  two  dramatic  companies  at  the  Academy 
of  Music  in  1876,  which  attracted  immense  houses. 
They  were  the  Globe  Theatre  Company  of  Boston,  in 
"  Our  Boys,"  and  the  great  "Julius  Caesar."  Company.  In 
the  former  were  John  C.  Cowper,  George  Honey,  Owen  Mar- 
lowe, H.  S.  Murdock,  Katherine  Rogers  and  Maude  Granger. 
All  of  the  male  portion  of  the  company  have  since  passed 
away.  The  "Julius  Caesar  "  Company  had  but  one  change 
in  the  great  quartette  since  its  former  appearance  at  the 
Providence  Opera  House,  Fred.  Warde  taking  the  place  of 
Mr.  Bangs.  Of  the  other  dramatic  attractions  at  the  Acad- 
emy of  Music  that  year  there  were  February  21st,  Murray 
Dramatic  Company  ;  March  3d,  4th,  George  L.  Fox  ;  March 
9th,  10th,  1  ith,  "  Our  Boys  "  Company;  March  20th.  2ist, 
22d,  the  same  ;  April  3d,  4th,  5th,  Shook  &  Palmer's  Union 
Square  Company,  with  Rose  Eytinge  as  the  star  ;  April  1  ith, 
Stetson's  Howard  Athenaeum  Company  ;  April  17th,  Frank 
Frayne  ;  September  2d,  Clinton  Eddy  ;  November  14th,  15th, 
Dow  Opera  Company,  an  excellent  organization  ;  November 
22d,  "Julius  Caesar  "  Combination.  There  were  about  the 
usual  number  of  minstrel  and  variety  organizations. 

At  the  Providence  Opera  House,  Manage]  Hender- 
son evidently  didn't  know  just  what  to  do  Li  the  be- 
ginning of   the  sixth   season  about    engagirj  om- 


2  14  HISTORY    OF    THE 

pany.  Business  had  not  been  good  for  two  or  three  seasons, 
except  with  stars  and  combinations,  but  there  were  not  yet  a 
sufficient  number  of  stars  who  carried  supporting  companies 
to  occupy  much  more  than  one-half  of  the  season.  He  opened 
Monday,  August  28th,  with  the  "  Black  Crook,"  under  the 
management  of  T.  Charles  Howard.  He  had  the  Miaco 
Family  with  him,  and  also  Charles  and  Carrie  Austin  in  drill 
and  bayonet  exercises.     The  company  was  a  fair  one. 

The  first  really  good  attraction  was  Augustin  Daly's  com- 
pany in  "  Pique,"  the  cast  including  D.  H.  Harkins,  W.  H. 
Crisp,  Owen  Fawcett,  C.  D.  Bainbridge,  B.  T.  Ringgold, 
Misses  Jeffreys  Lewis,  Ada  Gilman  and  Alice  Gray. 

Maggie  Mitchell  came  in  October  for  two  weeks,  supported 
by  the  Leland  Opera  House  Company,  of  Albany,  the  leading 
woman  of  which  was  Ada  Rehan,  who  is  now  so  much  wor- 
shipped by  the  patrons  of  Daly's  Theatre  in  New  York. 
Besides  her  there  were  two  good  leading  men  in  the  company, 
William  Harris  and  R.  Fulton  Russell.  The  first  week  was 
devoted  to  the  production  of  "  Mignon,"  written  by  James  B. 
Runnion,  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  and  he  was  here  to  super- 
intend it.  The  second  week  a  comedy  called  "  Becky  Mix," 
written  especially  for  the  star  by  Clifton  W.  Tayleure,  was 
brought  out.  It  was  a  pretty  clever  piece,  but  it  died  an  early 
death. 

Stuart  Robson  came  that  season  with  his  play  of  "Two 
Men  of  Sandy  Bar,"  and  made  one  of  the  most  lamentable 
failures  ever  known  here.  There  were  hardly  one  hundred 
people  in  the  house  at  any  one  performance,  and  those  who 
did  go  always  looked  as  if  they  had  been  severely  punished  for 
something  they  were  not  guilty  of.  There  were  excellent 
people  in  the  company,  too,  Mark  Bates,  Hart  Conway, 
Charles  T.  Parsloe,  and  Laura  Don,  being  in  the  cast. 

The  spectacular  play  of  "  Paolo,"  by  the  Kiralfys,  was 
another  lamentable  failure.  It  was  a  very  expensive  com- 
pany, with  rich  scenery,  etc.,  but  the  receipts  were  less  than 
two  hundred  dollars  per  night. 

During  Janauschek's  engagement  in  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber, Mr.  Henderson  inserted  the  following  card  both  in  the 
newspapers  and  in  the  programme:  "The  Opera  House  will 
close  after  to-night's  performance,  to  open  Thursday,  Novem- 
ber 23d,  with  entire  new  scenery,  new  decorations,  and  new 


PROVIDENCE  STAGE.  2  I  5 

carpets  in  front  of  the  house,  and  a  new  stock  company. 
Manager  Henderson  is  confident  the  opening  night  will  reveal 
to  the  public  of  Providence  and  vicinity  one  of  the  handsom- 
est arranged  and  decorated  opera  houses  in  this  or  any  other 
country.  The  scenery  has  been  for  several  weeks  under  the 
painter's  hands,  and  the  company  will  be  of  such  material  as 
to  warrant  the  public  in  dispensing  with  cheap  stars. 

This  is  the  only  time  that  Manager  Henderson  did  not 
fulfill  his  promises  to  the  public.  He  was  called  a  very  close 
man,  but  he  always  paid  his  bills;  always  paid  what  he  agreed 
to,  and  often  made  a  heavy  outlay  in  scenery,  as  in  the  case  of 
"  Rosedale,"  the  "  Two  Orphans,"  "  Divorce,"  etc.  The  stock 
company  which  he  presented  this  time  had  as  principals  Emily 
Baker,  Augusta  Chambers,  Georgie  Langley,  Isabella  Pres- 
ton, Belle  Melville,  Henry  P.  Mitchell,  George  Jordan,  S.  E. 
Springer,  A.  H.  Hastings,  and  I.  N.  Beers.  It  did  not  meet 
with  success. 

Soldene  was  here  that  season  with  the  best  company  she 
ever  had.  "Sardanapalus,"  with  Frank  Bangs,  Louis  Aldrich, 
E.  F.  Knowles,  and  Agnes  Booth,  was  a  notable  production. 
It  had  a  large  cast,  fine  scenery,  and  an  Italian  ballet  of  fifty 
dancers. 

H.  J.  Montague,  the  handsome  actor  from  Wallack's,  came 
for  three  nights  and  had  good  houses.  He  received  numer- 
ous notes  from  the  young  girls  of  Providence  while  he  was 
here,  and  after  the  Saturday  matinee  there  were  a  dozen  or 
more  waiting  in  the  parlor  of  the  City  Hotel,  eager  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  him  when  he  came  in,  just  to  see  how  he  looked 
off  the  stage. 

Edwin  Booth  played  an  engagement  of  two  weeks,  1- 
ning  April  16th,  giving  his  famous  impersonation  of  Bertuccio 
in  the  "Fool's  Revenge"  two  or  three  times. 

The  Hoffman  Comic  Opera  Company,  Hart/,  the  magician, 
Carncross  and  Dixey,  Harrigan  and  Hart,  Adah  Richmond, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Florence,  Lewis  Morrison,  Sothem  and  Fechter, 
were  attractions  of  that  season. 

Near  the  close    Palmer's  fine   company,  including    Ch 
R.  Thorne,   James   O'Neill,    Louis  James,    Fanny    Morant, 
Sara  Jewett  and  Ida  Jeffreys,  came  and  produced  the  "  1  lani- 
cheffs,"  making  a  sensation. 


2l6  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Miss  Ada  Rehan  was  born  in  the  city  of  Limerick  on 
April  22,  i860,  was  taken  to  America  when  only  six  years  of 
age,  and  has  made  the  United  States  her  home  ever  since. 
It  was  quite  by  accident  that  she  joined  the  theatrical  profes- 
sion. She  was  travelling  for  pleasure  with  her  sister  and 
brother-in-law.  A  member  of  his  company  was  taken  ill, 
and  Miss  Rehan  volunteered  to  "go  on  "  and  play  the  part, 
that  of  an  old  crone,  and  so  made  her  debut.  The  next  year 
she  was  in  Mrs.  Drew's  stock  company  in  Philadelphia. 
Then  she  went  to  the  Louisville  Theatre,  where  she  played 
Ophelia  to  Mr.  Booth's  Hamlet,  Virginia  with  Mr.  John  Mc- 
Cullough,  and  leading  juvenile  parts  in  support  of  other 
stars.  These,  with  a  season  at  Albany  and  Baltimore  thea- 
tres, were  a  good  schooling,  and  gave  her  experience  before 
Mr.  Augustin  Daly  engaged  her  for  his  present  company,  and 
she  has  been  under  his  management  ever  since.  She  made 
her  New  York  debut  in  1879.  She  is  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Oliver 
Doud  Byron. 

Lotta  began  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  1877,  her  dates 
being  January  1st  and  2d.  Then  came  the  Boston  Museum 
Company,  12th.  The  other  principal  attractions  of  a  dra- 
matic and  musical  nature  were  as  follows  :  January  27th,  Kit 
Carson,  Jr.  ;  February  16th,  17th,  Juvenile  Opera  Company; 
March  14th,  15th,  John  T.  Raymond;  April  9th,  10th,  Broad- 
way Theatre  Company ;  June  26th,  27th,  Mose  Fiske  in  war 
drama;  November  5th,  6th,  7th,  "Pink  Dominoes."  Half 
a  dozen  minstrel  companies,  one  or  two  magical  perform- 
ances, etc.,  completed  the  attractions  at  this  house  for  the 
year. 

The  days  of  stock  companies  at  the  Providence  Opera 
House  ended  with  the  sixth  season,  \Z']6-'j,  and  that  also 
ended  Mr.  Henderson's  management.  After  Mr.  Henderson 
left  Providence  he  took  the  management  of  the  Standard  The- 
atre in  New  York,  where  he  was  very  successful.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1890,  he  was  manager  of  the 
Academy  of  Music  in  Jersey  City.  His  stage  career  began 
in  185 1,  and  as  an  actor  he  supported  nearly  all  the  principal 
stars  in  the  country.  Before  coming  to  Providence  he  had 
managed  two  theatres  in  Pittsburg,  where  he  made  a  fortune. 
He  owned  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  real  estate  at  Long 


PROVIDEN'CE    STAGE.  2  I  7 

Branch,  and  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  profession, 
as  well  as  one  of  the  most  honorable. 

His  wife,  Ettie  Henderson,  now  the  lessee  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Music  in  Jersey  City,  has  often  appeared  as  a  star 
before  Providence  audiences.  She  is  very  talented,  thor- 
oughly proficient  in  music,  and  has  written  and  adapted  many 
successful  plays,  among-  them  being  "  Lena,  the  Street 
Singer,"  "Tot,  the  Match  Girl,"  "Our  Heroes,"  "Mar- 
riage," "Bound  Forever,"  "Claire  and  the  Forge  Master," 
"Almost  a  Life,"  etc. 

Mr.  David  O.  Black  was  Mr.  Henderson's  successor,  and 
the  season  was  a  good  one,  not  only  financially,  but  many  of 
the  best  stars  and  combinations  were  seen  for  the  first  time 
in  this  house.  The  season  continued  almost  uninterruptedly 
from  the  10th  of  August,  1877,  to  the  nth  of  June,  187X.  It 
opened  with  Haverly's  Minstrels,  then  the  leading  organiza- 
tion of  the  kind,  and,  although  the  weather  was  extremely 
hot,  the  houses  were  full.  Barlow  and  Wilson  followed  soon 
afterwards  and  they  also  did  an  excellent  business.  The 
"Corsair,"  Rentz  Minstrels,  and  Tony  Pastor  came  early  in 
the  season,  all  to  full  houses.  Among  some  of  the  other 
great  successes  were  Augustine  Daly's  company,  Kate  Clax- 
ton,  Mrs.  Oates,  Joseph  Murphy,  Buffalo  Bill,  Janauschek, 
Maggie  Mitchell,  Frank  Mayo,  the  "Drummer  Boy,"  Den- 
man  Thompson,  Lotta,  the  Morris  Brothers'  Minstrels,  Jo- 
seph Jefferson,  Lawrence  Barrett,  John  E.  Owens,  Fanny 
Davenport,  Barlow,  Wilson,  Primrose  and  West,  George  Rig- 
nold,  Texas  Jack,  the  Frog  Opera,  Joe  Emmet,  John  T.  Ray- 
mond, the  Williamsons  in  "Struck  Oil,"  John  Stetson's 
"Robin  Hood"  Company,  Jarrett  and  Palmer's  great  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin  Company,  Clara  Morris,  McKee  Rankin,  Wil- 
liam Horace  Lingard,  Robson  and  Crane  (their  first  visit). 
the  Kellogg  Opera  Company,  with  Annie  Louise  Cary  and 
Marie  Rose,  the  San  Francisco  Minstrels  and  Eli/a  Weath- 
ersby  and  Nat  Goodwin.  Several  of  the  companies  played 
two  engagements  that  season,  including  Haverly's  Minstn 
the  "Shaughraun,"  Harry  Bloodgood,  Tony  Pastor,  tin  I 
Opera,  Mrs.  Oates,  etc.  The  principal  event  was  the  first 
appearance  in  Providence  of  Mary  Anderson,  who  -  ame  for 
two  nights  only,  and  attracted  the  very  largesl  and  most 
fashionable  audiences  of  the  season.  The  dates  ol  her  ap- 
pearance here  were  May  7th  and  8th. 


21  8  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Mary  Anderson  was  born  at  Sacramento,  California,  in 
1859.  Her  father  died  three  years  after  her  birth,  fighting 
under  the  Confederate  flag.  Miss  Anderson  was  brought  up 
at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  her  stepfather  practiced  med- 
icine, having  given  up  his  plantation  after  the  war.  Her 
dramatic  tastes  showed  themselves  from  her  childhood. 
When  she  was  about  thirteen,  she  saw  Booth  in  "  Richard 
III.,"  and  her  imagination  was  instantly  fired.  She  en- 
treated to  be  allowed  to  adopt  the  stage  as  a  profession,  and 
after  much  opposition  her  parents  consented  and  gave  her 
lessons  from  the  best  instructors.  At  sixteen  she  made  her 
dtbut  as  Juliet.  For  some  years  she  acted  all  over  the 
States  and  Canada  in  various  parts,  and  she  had  great 
success  in  London  during  her  seasons  at  the  Lyceum  Thea- 
tre in  1884  and  1885.  In  1889  she  revisited  America,  and 
made  a  most  successful  tour  of  the  chief  cities,  but  her  health 
broke  down,  and  she  had  to  return  to  England  before  she  had 
filled  all  her  engagements.  She  is  now  married,  and  has  re- 
tired from  the  stage. 

Another  great  event  of  that  season  was  the  second  visit  of 
the  "  Shaughraun  "  Company.  John  A.  Mackay  then  imper- 
sonated Conn,  the  part  usually  played  by  Mr.  Boucicault. 
Only  a  short  time  previous,  in  one  of  the  Southern  cities, 
Nashville,  I  believe,  the  "  wake  "  scene  had  created  consider- 
able disturbance  in  the  audience.  The  news  of  the  disturb- 
ance had  reached  Providence,  and  some  of  the  "toughs"  de- 
termined to  repeat  it  here.  The  following  account,  taken 
from  the  Providence  Journal  of  April  26,  1878,  gives  the  par- 
ticulars of  this  "  Disgraceful  Occurrence  :  " 

"  '  Conn,  the  Shaughraun,'  was  presented  at  the  Opera 
House  last  evening,  to  a  fair  audience.  The  play  was  very 
well  presented,  and  ran  smoothly  up  to  the  third  act,  in  which 
occurs  a  representation  of  an  Irish  wake  over  the  supposed 
dead  body  of  Conn.  The  '  keeners  '  had  just  taken  their  places, 
and  the  long  wail  was  beginning  to  rise,  when  a  missile,  evi- 
dently apiece  of  turnip,  struck  the  stage.  Another  quickly 
followed,  and  then  half  a  dozen  more  came  whizzing  over  the 
heads  of  the  audience.  Some  of  the  missiles  struck  pretty 
close  to  the  performers,  and  there  was  a  sudden  cessation  of 
the  play.  Eggs  then  began  to  be  thrown,  and  the  ladies  on 
the  stage  hastily  retired.     The  gallery  was    hissing  sharply, 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  219 

and  the  order  was  given  for  lowering  of  the  curtain.  The 
curtain  was  not  down  more  than  half  a  minute  when  it  went 
up  again,  Conn  lay  on  the  shutter  as  cool  as  could  be,  and  the 
thread  of  the  dialogue  was  taken  up  where  it  had  broken  off, 
except  that  the  'keening'  was  left  out.  Several  more  eggs 
were  thrown,  and  the  hissing  was  so  loud  as  to  almost  drown 
the  voices  of  the  actors.  Comparatively  few  eggs,  however, 
were  thrown  after  the  rising  of  the  curtain,  but  the  hissing 
continued  all  through  the  scene.  The  next  scene  passed 
without  interruption  or  noticeable  features,  except  that  Conn, 
who  had  come  to  life,  having  occasion  to  call  a  couple  of  men 
on  the  stage  'cowards,'  added,  'like  your  hissing  friends  up 
there.'  At  this  a  burst  of  hissing  arose  in  the  gallery,  while 
the  occupants  of  the  parquette  and  dress  circle  applauded 
furiously.  The  applause  carried  the  day,  as  far  as  continu- 
ance went,  and  the  play  was  finished  without  further  inter- 
ruption." 

There  was  only  one  police  officer  in  the  gallery  when  the 
egging  began.  The  eggs  were  not  thrown  by  boys,  but  by 
young  men.  They  came  from  several  portions  of  the  gallery. 
The  officer  got  hold  of  one  man  whom  he  saw  throw  an  egg, 
but  the  crowd  rushed  in  and  threw  the  officer  down,  and  the 
man  escaped.  Two  men  were  ordered  out  of  the  gallery 
and  they  left.  By  the  time  the  officer  on  duty  down  stairs 
had  reached  the  gallery  the  disturbance  was  checked.  Several 
eggs  were  found  in  the  gallery  after  the  close  of  the  perform- 
ance. 

The  following  day,  April  27th,  the  Journal  said  : 
"  '  Conn,  the  Shaughraun,'  was  presented  again  last  evening, 
and  the  wake  scene  passed  without  serious  interruption. 
There  were  a  few  hisses  when  the  '  keeners  '  came  on,  and  one 
man  is  alleged  to  have  tried  to  make  some  additional  disturb- 
ance. At  any  rate  he  was  taken  out  of  the  gallery  by  the 
police,  and  there  was  outward  peace  after  that.  The 
wake  scene  was  very  much  shortened,  in  fact  was  deprived  ol 
most  of  its  characteristic  features.  The  Opera  House  looked 
all  the  evening  as  if  it  was  under  martial  law.  There  w 
police  officers  in  about  every  other  row  of  seats,  upstairs  and 
down,  and  two  officers  sat  at  the  fronl  of  the  orchestra,  with 
their  backs  to  the  stage,  and  never  took  their  eyes  of]  the 
gallery  the  whole  evening.     When  the  confusion    occasioned 


2  20  HISTORY     OF    THE 

by  the  removal  of  the  objectionable  gallery  god,  who,  by  the 
way,  was  locked  up  at  the  Fifth  Station,  broke  out,  there  was 
an  uprising  of  police  which  would  have  awed  down  a  small 
insurrection." 

That  year  also  brought  here  for  the  first  time  as  a  star  Mr. 
N.  C.  Goodwin. 

Nat.  C.  Goodwin,  the  distinguished  comedian,  was  born  in 
Boston  July  25,  1857.  He  attended  first  the  grammar 
school,  then  the  high  school,  of  Boston,  and  subsequently 
graduated  from  the  little  "Blue  College"  of  Farmington, 
Maine.  During  the  period  of  his  schooling  he  was  noted  for 
his  wonderful  power  of  mimicry.  He  also  developed  the 
faculty  for  committing  long  essays  to  memory  in  a  remark- 
able degree.  Having,  in  1873,  graduated  from  the  college 
just  spoken  of,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  house  of 
Wellington  Brothers,  of  Boston,  where  he  remained  for  two 
months.  Then  he  secured  a  place  with  B.  L.  Solomon's 
Sons,  upholsterers,  where  he  managed  to  remain  a  whole 
month.  From  here  he  went  to  Providence  and  was  engaged 
in  William  Henderson's  Providence  Opera  House  Stock  Com- 
pany, and  was  cast  for  the  part  of  Sir  George  Honnsloiv,  in 
the  melodrama  of  "  The  Bottle."  He  was  given  his  part  at 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  four  he  was  letter  perfect. 
His  college  training  stood  him  in  hand,  and  he  at  once  won 
the  admiration  of  every  member  of  the  company.  The  man- 
ager declared  that  in  the  young  man  Goodwin  he  had  found 
a  jewel.  Intelligent,  bright  and  witty,  they  all  predicted  a 
great  future  for  him.  At  last  evening  came,  and  Nat.  was 
"  eager  for  the  fray."  When  the  call  boy  announced  his  turn 
he  stepped  upon  the  stage,  and,  having  taken  his  place  indi- 
cated by  the  manager  at  the  afternoon  rehearsal,  waited  a  second 
for  his  cue,  and,  at  the  proper  moment,  raised  his  arm  in  the 
attitude  of  a  command,  opened  his  lips,  but  not  a  single  sound 
escaped  them.  He  stood  there,  spell-bound  and  speechless, 
a  horrible  victim  of  stage  fright.  He  does  not  remember  how 
he  escaped  from  the  theatre,  but  when  his  senses  had  returned 
he  found  himself  at  the  depot  dressed  just  as  he  had  appeared 
on  the  stage — wig,  grease-paint,  costume  and  all.  In  this 
condition  he  boarded  the  first  train  for  Boston,  vowing  that 
never  more  would  he  attempt  to  become  an  actor.  However, 
he  studied  elocution  for  the  next   six  months  with  Wyzeman 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  22  1 

Marshall,  and  did  some  "barnstorming  "  around  Boston,  and 
finally  began  imitations  of  prominent  people,  which,  proving 
successful,  he  went  to  New  York,  and  in  1875  was  engaged 
by  Tony  Pastor,  where  he  continued  his  imitations  in  costume, 
meeting  with  instantaneous  success.  Soon  after  he  joined 
E.  E.  Rice's  company  playing  Le  Blanc  in  "  Evangeline  "  and 
winning  great  success.  His  advancement  was  then  steady 
and  sure.  At  the  time  of  the  famous  dramatic  festival  in 
Cincinnati  he  was  the  principal  comedian,  a  great  honor,  as 
the  casts  included  nearly  all  the  prominent  stars  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Goodwin  tells  the  story  of  his  debut  here  in  the  follow- 
ing humorous  manner  : 

"  Before  I  ever  went  on  the  stage  I  used  to  take  part  in 
amateur  affairs  in  my  mother's  parlors  in  Boston,  and  I 
bothered  Charlie  Thorne  to  death  to  get  me  a  place  in  some 
company.  My  friends  also  said  that  they  were  convinced  I 
had  talents.  So,  finally,  Thorne  secured  me  a  position  in.  a 
company  then  playing  a  piece  called  "A  Bottle."  Providence 
was  to  be  the  place  where  I  made  my  debut  and  the  part 
assigned  me  was  the  old-time  gentlemanly  villain  who  comes 
to  the  village  and  captures  the  heart  of  the  rustic  beauty.  I 
had  rehearsed  several  times  and  was  sure  I  knew  it  all.  The 
heroine  was  to  rush  on  with  a  scream  and  I  run  after  her ; 
but  she  hadn't  rehearsed  the  scream  with  me,  so  when  she 
dashed  on  and  gave  an  unearthly  yell  it  nearly  frightened  me 
to  death.  I  stubbed  my  toe,  fell  sprawling,  and  lost  one  of 
my  side-whiskers.  I  couldn't  utter  a  word  and  didn't  do  so 
during  the  whole  performance.  They  thought  I  would  gain 
courage  as  the  piece  progressed,  but  during  the  third  act  the 
orchestra  came  in  w7ith  a  few  thrilling  bars  of  music  and  I 
completely  lost  my  head,  and  I  dashed  out  of  the  theatre  to 
find  the  depot  and  take  the  next  train  for  Boston. 

"As  I  entered  the  cars  with  make-up  mi,  a  black  streak  on 
my  cheek  from  blackened  eyebrows,  and  my  wig  at  one  side, 
passengers  thought  I  was  staring  mad.  On  reaching  home  I 
rushed  in  to  my  mother,  who  thought  I  was  going  t<>  It  a 
second  Booth,  begging  her  not  to  send  me  on  the  stage  again, 
but  to  get  me  a  position  in  some  store." 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

1878-1880. 

Close  of  the  Academy  of  Music— Opening  of  Low's  Opera  House- 
Many   GOOD    ATTRACTIONS  IN  THAT  HOUSE— FIRST  APPEARANCE  HERE 

of  Annie  Pixley— Sketch  of  Miss  Pixley— First  production  here 
of  "  Pinafore"— Ninth  Season  at  Providence  Opera  House- 
First  production  here  of  the  "  Pirates  of  Penzance  "—Success 
of  Annie  Pixley  and  Aldrich  and  Parsloe  at  Low's— Boston 
Theatre  Company  in  "False  Shame  "—First  appearance  here 
of  Sarah  Bernhardt— Sketch  of  Miss  Bernhardt. 

THE  year  1878  witnessed  the  closing  performances  in 
the  Academy  of  Music,  and  the  opening  of  Low's 
Opera  House.  There  were  but  two  companies  in  the 
Academy,  namely:  January  16th,  17th,  18th,  Centennial 
Jubilee  Singers,  and  October  7th,  8th,  9th,  Old  Dominion 
Minstrels. 

Low's  Opera  House  opened  on  the  evening  of  March  4, 
1878.  There  was  an  address  by  Mayor  Doyle  and  a  concert 
by  the  American  Band,  with  Dora  Wiley  and  H.  C.  Barna- 
bee  as  the  soloists.  The  only  entrance  was  at  that  time,  and 
for  two  or  three  years  later,  on  Union  street. 

Wilkinson's  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin "  Company  came  the 
second  night,  and  then  followed  Bourne  &  Company's  Fe- 
male Minstrels,  Colonel  Ingersoll's  lecture  on  "Hell,"  the 
Berger  Family,  Shook  &  Palmer's  Company  in  "A  Cel- 
ebrated Case,"  the  Hess  English  Opera  Company,  in  "  Chimes 
of  Normandy,"  and  "  Fra  Diavolo,"  with  Emilie  Mellville 
as  the  star,  Milton  Nobles  in  "The  Phoenix,"  Mile.  Aimee's 
farewell  to  America,  and  Boston  Museum  Company,  with  all 
the  favorites.  This  closed  the  spring  season,  and  many  alter- 
ations were  made  in  the  house,  which  were  necessary  to  make 
it  comfortable  for  theatrical  representations. 

The  season  of  1878-9  opened  at  this  house  September  23d, 
with  the  Rice  Surprise  Partv,  then  an  excellent  organization. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  223 

Warde  &  Barrymore's  "  Diplomacy  "  Company  followed,  and, 
although  the  audiences  were  small,  the  company  made  a  most 
favorable  impression.  Colonel  Ingersoll  followed  to  rather 
a  small  audience  compared  with  those  which  have  greeted 
him  on  his  later  visits.  Fanny  Davenport,  then  a  new  star, 
also  appeared  before  a  small  audience.  The  Franklin  Ly- 
ceum had  their  entertainments  there  that  season,  and  among 
their  attractions  were  the  Berger  Family,  Theodore  Tilton, 
Professor  Churchill,  Francis  Murphy,  the  Barnabee  Concert 
Company  and  Mrs.  Scott  Siddons.  One  of  the  most  notable 
events  of  the  season  at  Low's  was  the  first  appearance  in 
Providence  of  Annie  Pixley.  She  came  on  the  5th  and  6th 
of  November.  The  houses  were  good,  but  not  very  large 
She  returned  on  the  13th  and  14th  of  December  to  much 
larger  houses  and  more  enthusiastic  audiences.  She  was  the 
talk  of  the  town,  and  when  she  came  back  early  the  next  sea- 
son the  house  was  none  too  large  to  hold  her  admirers. 
Another  attraction  at  Low's  which  did  good  business  and 
made  a  good  impression,  was  the  Tracy  Titus  Opera  Com- 
pany, with  Laura  Joyce,  Catherine  Lewis,  the  late  Mose 
Fiske,  Eugene  Clarke,  etc.,  in  the  cast. 

Annie  Pixley,  nee  Shea,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
about  1857.  Her  uncle  was  the  Hon.  George  Shea,  Judge  of 
the  Marine  Court,  New  York.  Her  parents  removed  to  San 
Francisco,  where  her  father  died.  She  went  upon  the  stage 
at  a  very  early  age  and  soon  made  her  mark  as  a  star  in  the 
Golden  Gate  city.  In  1876  she  accepted  an  engagement  in 
Australia,  singing  in  comic  opera  successfully.  In  1877  sne 
returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  she  made  a  decided  hit  as 
The  Widoiv  in  "The  Danites,"  with  McKee  Rankin,  and  as 
Gretchen  to  Mr.  Jefferson's  Rip  Van  Winkle.  She  came  East 
when  "Pinafore"  was  the  rage,  and  in  Philadelphia  was  the 
original  JosepJiine.  About  this  time  she  made  an  arrange- 
ment with  Bret  Harte  for  his  play,  "  M'liss,"  and  as  The 
Child  of  the  Sierras  she  has  achieved  a  world-wide  reputa- 
tion.    In  private  life  she  is  Mrs.  Robert  Fulford. 

The  Providence    Opera    House    opened    its  eighth  si 
September  2d,  with  George  S.  Knight,  who  was  then  .1  most 
popular  star.     The  Jewish  ladies  gave  a  benefil  .it  the  <  >pera 
House,  September  16th,  for  the  yellow    fever    sufferers,  and 
had    a   good    house.     John    A.    Stevens    brought    his    "  Un- 


224  HISTORY    OF    THE 

known  "  Company  here  that  season  and  filled  the  house  for  a 
week.  Lotta  was  also  a  great  success  that  season.  Steele 
Mackaye  was  here  that  season  with  his  play  of  "  Won  at 
Last,"  with  Blanche  Meda  as  the  star.  Mary  Anderson 
came  November  iitb,  12th  and  13th,  and  all  night  long  be- 
fore the  opening  of  the  sale  of  seats  there  were  one  hundred 
or  more  in  line  waiting  to  be  the  first  purchaser.  The  Police 
Association  had  a  benefit  November  14th,  with  the  Laura 
Phillips  Company,  and  the  capacity  of  the  house  was  tested. 
The  Boston  Museum  Company  came  with  "  Pinafore,"  with 
Rose  Temple  as  Ralph  Rackstrazv,  and  Marie  Wainwright  as 
Josepliine,  and  it  was  liberally  patronized.  The  Museum 
Company  came  later  with  "  My  Son,"  in  which  the  late 
William  Warren  and  the  late  Harry  Crisp  made  the  greatest 
hits  of  their  experience  with  Providence  audiences.  Mod- 
jeska  was  a  great  success  of  that  season,  and  so  were  the 
Philadelphia  Church  Choir,  Tony  Pastor,  Lawrence  Barrett, 
Frank  Mayo,  the  Kellogg  Opera  troupe,  Denman  Thompson, 
Robson  and  Crane,  the  Butterflies'  Ball,  the  Lilliputian 
Opera  Company,  Genevieve  Ward,  who  played  two  engage- 
ments, and  John  Stetson's  Company.  A.  M.  Palmer's  Com- 
pany came  for  the  last  week  in  May,  with  the  "  Banker's 
Daughter,"  with  J.  H.  Stoddart,  Sara  Jewett,  Mat.  Lingham, 
J.  B.  Polk,  and  other  good  artists  in  the  cast.  The  first  night 
the  house  was  so  poor  that  Mr.  Palmer  talked  about  taking 
his  company  back  to  New  York  by  the  midnight  train,  but 
he  was  persuaded  to  remain,  and,  before  the  week  was  over, 
the  house  had  no  vacant  seats. 

The  ninth  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House  opened 
Sept.  22,  1879,  with  Gus  Williams  in  his  play  of  "  The  Sena- 
tor." He  was  rather  new  in  the  legitimate  business  then,  and 
his  profits  were  not  great.  The  Rice  Surprise  Party,  which 
followed,  had  crowded  houses,  but  then  the  bottom  seemed 
to  drop  out  of  theatricals,  and  it  was  several  weeks  before 
another  full  house  was  seen.  Even  such  favorites  as  Tony 
Pastor,  F.  S.  Chanfrau,  Maggie  Mitchell,  and  Joseph  Murphy, 
failed  to  draw  more  than  ordinary  audiences,  and  no  one 
could  give  any  good  reason  for  it,  Hoffman's  "  Pinafore  " 
Company,  which  played  on  the  13th  of  November,  was  the 
second  attraction  of  the  season,  which  drew  largely.  Joseph 
Jefferson  followed  for  two  nights,  and  he  met  with  equal  sue- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 


-  -  5 


cess.  Robert  L.  Downing,  who  has  since  been  a  star,  was 
then  his  leading  man.  There  was  not  another  full  house 
until  Lester  Wallack  came  December  15th,  although  be- 
tween these  two  stars  were  "  The  Tourists,"  "  The  Black 
Crook,"  and  Robson  and  Crane.  The  Police  Association  had 
a  great  benefit  December  18th,  but  John  McCullough,  who 
followed  them,  was  not  so  successful.  The  Boston  Theatre 
Company  presented  the  play  of  "  Drink,"  with  Tom  Keene, 
and  it  made  a  great  sensation.  Mary  Anderson  had  as  large 
audiences  as  the  Opera  House  ever  held  on  January  15th, 
1 6th,  and  17th.  There  was  not  an  inch  of  vacant  standing 
room  in  any  part  of  the  house,  and  the  orchestra  played  from 
the  stage  during  this  engagement.  From  that  date  to  the 
latter  part  of  the  season,  except  on  very  few  occasions,  the 
houses  were  very  good  and  very  often  crowded.  Among 
those  who  drew  well  were  Frank  Mayo,  Mrs.  Oates,  Law- 
rence Barrett,  the  Strakosch  Opera  Company,  Bartley  Camp- 
bell's play  of  "Fairfax,"  Haverly's  Minstrels,  Daly's  Com- 
pany in  "An  Arabian  Night,"  Fanny  Davenport,  B.  Macauley, 
Denman  Thompson,  Colonel  Ingersoll,  "The  Pirates  of 
Penzance  "  Company  (the  original),  with  Signor  Brocolini, 
Blanche  Roosevelt,  J.  H.  Ryley,  Jesse  Bond  and  other  great 
artists;  Lotta,  J.  T.  Raymond,  Daly's  Company  in  "The 
Royal  Middy,"  with  Catherine  Lewis  as  the  Middy.  Harri- 
gan  and  Hart  also  played  here  that  season,  and  as  the  city 
was  crowded  with  strangers  who  had  come  to  see  the  interna- 
tional boat  race,  they  turned  hundreds  of  people  away.  Their 
dates  were  the  16th  and  17th  of  June.  Among  the  visitors 
to  the  city  were  Charles  R.  Thorne,  Jr.,  William  H.  Crane. 
Stuart  Robson,  Charles  A.  Stevenson,  and  a  score  or  two  "l 
lesser  lights  in  the  profession,  and  they  applauded  the  people 
on  the  stage  as  probably  they  were  never  applauded  before  or 
since. 

At  Low's  Opera  House  that  season  the  attractions  were 
more  numerous  than  almost  any  other  season  while  the  house 
was  under  his  management,  and  the  majority  of  them  u 
very  good.  The  opening  night  was  September  5th,  with 
Emerson's  Megatherians,  with  good  business.  Harlow,  Wilson, 
Primrose  and  West  followed  with  equal  success.  Then  came 
Annie  Pixley  to  crowded  houses.  The  weather  was  extremely 
hot,  both  gardens  were  running,  the  Park  Garden  still  having 
15 


226  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  realistic  "  Pinafore  "  on  the  lake,  but  in  spite  of  this  Miss 
Pixley  did  not  get  left.  One  of  the  principal  events  of  the 
season  at  this  house  was  the  first  production  on  any  stage  of 
the  "Iron  Will,"  the  title  of  which  was  within  a  few  weeks 
changed  to  "  Hazel  Kirke."  Under  the  latter  name  it  has 
been  played  in  every  city,  town  and  village  of  any  size  in  the 
United  States.  Aldrich  and  Parsloe  with  "My  Partner," 
came  for  the  first  time  that  season  and  met  with  immediate 
favor.  The  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company  were  here  three 
times,  playing  three  fine  engagements,  the  second  time  with 
"  Fatinitza."  The  "Galley  Slave"  company,  with  Joseph 
Wheelock,  Marie  Prescott,  Frank  Evans,  and  others  of  note, 
was  here  and  made  a  sensation.  The  Boston  Theatre  Com- 
pany produced  "  False  Shame"  here  for  the  first  time  on  any 
stage.  It  died  an  early  death.  No  less  than  six  minstrel 
companies  were  at  this  house  during  the  season,  and  most  of 
them  went  away  with  a  balance  on  the  right  side.  The  stars 
who  have  not  been  mentioned  were  Rose  Lisle,  Frank  Bangs, 
D.  E.  Bandmann,  Gus  Phillips,  Josh  Hart,  Victoria  Loftus, 
Pat  Rooney,  Neil  Burgess,  Denman  Thompson,  Buffalo  Bill, 
Minnie  Palmer,  W.  J.  Florence,  J.  B.  Studley,  and  Maud  For- 
rester. 

The  tenth  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House  opened 
with  Colonel  Ingersoll,  August  20th.  The  crowded  houses 
of  the  season  were  drawn  by  Joseph  Jefferson,  Maggie 
Mitchell,  Haverly's  "Coons,"  Robson  and  Crane,  Tony  Pas- 
tor and  Lotta.  Good  houses  witnessed  Hermann,  Jarrett's 
"Cinderella,"  the  Strakosch  and  Hess  Opera  Company,  Kate 
Claxton,  Soldene,  "Voyagers  in  Southern  Seas,"  Neil  Bur- 
gess, "Hazel  Kirke,"  the  Troubadours,  the  Tourists,  the 
Criterion  Comedy  Company,  Mrs.  Scott-Siddons,  the  Ideal 
Opera  Company,  Frank  Mayo,  the  Laurent-Corelli  Company, 
Emma  Abbott,  Rice  Surprise  Party,  De  Wolf  Hopper  in 
"100  Wives,"  Boucicault,  "Two  Nights  in  Rome "  Com- 
pany, Denman  Thompson,  and  Corinne.  The  very  poor 
houses  were  drawn  by  the  Norcross  Company,  Aberle's  Min- 
strels, Annie  Ward  Tiffany,  the  Bijou  Opera  Company,  Ab- 
bey's "  Humpty  Dumpty  "  Company,  Ada  Cavendish,  the 
"  Four  Seasons,"  Studley's  "  Monte  Cristo,"  Fred  Paulding, 
Soldene,  the  "Legion  of  Honor,"  John  Murray,  "  Dengre- 
mont,"  George  S.  Knight,  Balabrega,  and  the  New  York  Com- 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE. 


--/ 


edy  Company  in  "  Billee  Taylor."  The  Narragansett  Boat 
Club  produced  the  "Pirates  of  Penzance"  February  ist  and  2d. 
It  was  an  artistic  success,  but  the  profits  were  not  large. 
Among  the  attractions  that  have  not  been  mentioned  were 
Mrs.  Morgan's  benefit,  Dufur  and  Ross  wrestling  match, 
Stella  Bellmore,  Thayer's  "Celebrated  Case,"  "  Sam'l  of 
Posen,"  Daly's  "  First  Families,"  Leavitt's  Specialty  Com- 
pany, "Around  the  World,"  the  "Jollities"  company,  Gill's 
"Goblins,"  with  Francis  Wilson  and  Emma  Carson,  William 
Chace's  benefit,  the  Royal  Mastodons,  the  Boston  Museum 
Company,  Anthony  and  Ellis's  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  Com- 
pany, Callender's  Minstrels,  the  Grayson-Norcross  Company, 
and  Maggie  Weston.  The  season  was  not  a  very  profitable 
one.     Mr.  George  Hackett  was  then  the  manager. 

The  season  of  1880-81  at  Low's  was  one  of  the  very  poor 
ones  for  that  house,  also.  In  fact,  the  people  did  not  come 
out  that  season  to  theatrical  entertainments  only  on  rare  oc- 
casions. The  house  was  opened  September  24th,  25th,  with  the 
"  Strategists,"  who  were  poorly  patronized.  Harry  Miner's 
Company  appeared  27th,  to  a  fair  house.  Annie  Pixley  had 
overcrowded  houses  for  a  week,  beginning  October  nth. 
The  Tile  Club  did  fairly  for  the  week  of  October  24th.  The 
Boston  Ideals  had  a  good  house  November  17th.  Minnie 
Palmer  played  to  fair  business  November  18th,  19th,  20th. 
"  My  Partner  "  played  to  the  capacity  of  the  house  November 
24th  to  27th.  "Deacon  Crankett "  was  fairly  patronized  De- 
cember 13th,  14th,  15th.  Mahn's  Opera  Company  in  "  Boc- 
caccio "  gave  splendid  entertainments  to  meagre  patrona 
Crowded  houses  were  drawn  by  the  Police  Association  ben- 
efit,  the  Boston  Museum  Company,  and  the  Union  Square 
Theatre  Company.  The  other  attractions  were  the  "Jolli- 
ties" Company,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  Company,  Willie 
Edouin,  Hickey's  "Humpty  Dumpty,"  Joseph  Murphy,  the 
"  Galley  Slave,"  Ford's  Opera  Company  in  "Olivette,"  Bar- 
low, Wilson,  Primrose  and  West's  Minstrels,  Gus  Phillips, 
Jennie  Yeamans  in  "Jack  Sheppard,"  Pat  Rooney,  Sarah 
Bernhardt  in  "Camille,"  the  "Banker's  Daughter,"  Herr- 
mann, Charles  L.  Davis,  and  Rice's  "  Billee  Taylor." 

The  great  event  of  the  season  was  the  first  and  only  ap. 
pearance  up  to  the  present  time  of  Sarah  Bernhardt.  This 
talented  actress  is  the  daughter  of  a    French* lawyer  and   a 


2  28  HISTORY     OF     THE 

Dutch  Jewess.  She  was  entered  as  a  pupil  at  the  Conserva- 
toire, Paris  ;  admitted  to  the  classes  of  Provost  and  Samson, 
and  in  1861  gained  the  second  prize  in  tragedy,  which  she 
followed  up  by  the  second  prize  in  comedy.  Signs  of  her 
genius  were  very  early  recognized  by  Auber.  Her  first  ap- 
pearance was  by  no  means  a  success,  and  her  second 
was  even  worse,  so  that  she  retired  from  the  stage  for  a 
time.  It  was  not  until  1869  that  her  merits  began  to  be  rec- 
ognized. Perhaps  her  first  real  triumph  was  in  the  character 
of  the  Queen  of  Spain  in  "  Ruy  Bias."  It  gained  a  warm 
tribute  of  praise  from  Victor  Hugo,  and  has  always  been  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  greatest  of  her  creations.  In  the 
Franco-German  War  she  was  a  nurse  during  the  siege  of 
Paris.  She  made  her  second  appearance  at  the  Comedie 
Francaise  in  November,  1872,  in  "Madame  de  Belle  Isle." 
This  was  followed  by  a  number  of  great  creations,  until  her 
rendering  of  the  role  of  Dona  Sol  in  "  Hernani"  stamped  her 
as  the  greatest  of  living  actresses.  Her  first  visit  to  London 
was  in  1879.  ^n  1881  she  toured  in  the  United  States. 
Madame  Bernhardt  is  above  all  things  a  tragic  actress,  and 
conquers  by  sheer  force  of  passion.  She  is  her  characters, 
and,  though  seldom  aiming  directly  at  studied  effect,  she  can 
command  at  will  an  extraordinary  variety  of  voice  and  gesture 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

1881-1883. 

Eleventh  season  at  Providence  Opera  House— Somi  vkky  had 
companies  and  worse  plays— frank  mayo's  two  w  i:i  k-  engage- 
MENT in  tragedy— Sketch  of  Mb.  Mayo— Edwin  Booth  at 
Low's— Only  appearance  here  of  Rossi— Other  good  btabs  a  i 
this  house— Twelfth  season  at  Providence  Opera  Hoi  be 
-Mlle.  Theo's  only  appearance  here— A  naughty  show— The 
Continental  Guards-Oscar  Wilde— Charles  Wyndham— Mar- 
garet Mather's  first  appearance— Sketch  of  Miss  Mather 
Sketch  of  Mlle.  Rhea. 

THE  eleventh  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House 
was  a  long  one,  beginning  the  23d  of  August,  1881, 
and  closing  the  14th  of  June,  1882.  There  were  sev- 
eral attractions  which  had  crowded  houses,  among  them  being 
Haverly's  Minstrels,  Leavitt's  Giganteans,  Baker  and  1 
ron,  the  Vokes  Family,  Lotta,  "Michael  Strogoff,"  Maggie 
Mitchell,  Mary  Anderson,  Denman  Thompson,  and  Tony 
Pastor,  but  the  season  was  not  a  very  profitable  one,  even  at 
that.  Mr.  George  Hackett  was  still  the  manager,  and  he 
was  not  a  very  energetic  one.  He  had  the  reputation  of 
booking  almost  any  combination  that  would  play  on  low  per- 
centage, and  some  of  the  attractions  which  played  under  his 
management  were  decidedly  queer.  Take,  for  instance, 
the  "After  the  Opera"  Company,  the  "Jolly  Bachelors,"  the 
"  Legaire  "  Company,  the  "Florinel"  Company,  the  "Mis. 
Partington  "  Company,  the  "  All-at-Sea  "  Company,  and  the 
"Thro' the  Rye"  Company,  all  of  which  the  theatre-gi 
had  to  endure  that  season.  Fortunately  there  were  not 
many  patrons  at  those  performances  (they  could  not  be 
called  entertainments),  and  it  is  feared  that  a  majority  oi 
the  few  who  did  go  wondered  over  what  crime  the)  had  com- 
mitted that  they  should  be  made   to  suffer  so.     One  of    the 


23O  HISTORY    OF    THE 

important  features  of  the  season  was  the  two  weeks'  engage- 
ment of  Frank  Mayo  in  tragedy.  He  had  long  cherished  a 
desire  to  escape  from  "Davy  Crockett,"  the  constant  repeti- 
tion of  which  had  become  nauseating  to  him,  and  he  was 
anxious  to  show  the  people  what  he  could  do  in  such  char- 
acters as  Macbeth,  Richard,  Richelieu,  etc.  He  spent  several 
thousand  dollars  for  costumes,  armors,  and  other  parapher- 
nalia, and  he  devoted  the  entire  summer  to  preparation  for 
his  new  departure.  He  secured  a  very  large  and  able  com- 
pany to  support  him,  and  he  started  in  for  a  run  of  "  Mac- 
beth." The  play  was  finely  staged,  all  the  appointments 
were  complete,  the  original  music  was  given  by  vocalists 
specially  engaged,  and  altogether  it  was  a  production  such  as 
Providence  had  never  seen  before.  It  ran  for  one  week,  be- 
ginning September  12th,  but  the  weather  was  hot,  and  many 
of  those  who  would  have  been  patrons  had  not  yet  returned 
to  their  city  homes.  Mr.  Mayo  was  not,  however,  discour- 
aged, but  continued  another  week  in  the  other  characters 
spoken  of.  The  result  of  the  engagement  was  the  loss  of  a 
few  hundred  dollars,  and  even  at  that  he  fared  better  in 
Providence  than  in  other  cities  which  he  visited  later.  The 
general  verdict  of  his  patrons  was  that  he  enacted  the  tragic 
roles  very  satisfactorily,  but  they  preferred  to  see  him  in 
"Davy  Crocket,"  just  the  same  as  the  majority  of  theatre- 
goers prefer  to  see  Joseph  Jefferson  in  "  Rip  Van  Winkle." 
Mr.  Frank  Mayo  was  born  in  Boston,  April  19,  1839,  but 
made  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage  at  the  American  The- 
atre in  San  Francisco,  under  Laura  Keene's  management,  in 
1856,  occupying  every  position  from  supernumerary  to  that 
of  leading  actor,  and  supporting  almost  every  star  that  visited 
the  Pacific  slope  from  i860  to  1865.  He  was  never  engaged 
for  any  line  of  business,  but  played  old  men,  young  men, 
middle-aged  men,  comedy,  tragedy,  black  and  white,  as  it 
happened.  Having  acquired  in  this  way,  an  experience  not 
otherwise  possible,  he  left  San  Francisco  in  1865,  and  be- 
came a  stock  star  at  the  Boston  Theatre,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Jarrett,  Tompkins  &  Thayer,  opening  August  28th  of 
that  year  as  Badger,  in  "  The  Streets  of  New  York,"  a  part 
in  which  the  handsome  actor  made  a  hit,  which  he  repeated 
in  many  other  leading  roles.  The  following  season  he  be- 
came a  star,  at  first  presenting  the   Shakespeare  dramas,  in- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  23  I 

terspersed  with  romantic  plays  of  less  dignity,  but  at  length 
making  a  specialty  of  "  The  Streets  of  New  York."  In  1872 
Mr.  Mayo,  while  managing  at  Rochester,  New  York,  first 
played  Davy  Crockett,  with  which  his  name  is  as  closely  as- 
sociated as  Jefferson's  with  Rip  Van  Winkle,  or  Maggie 
Mitchell's  with  Fanchon. 

To  resume  :  The  stars  of  the  season  who  have  not  been 
previously  mentioned  were  John  T.  Raymond,  F.  S.  Chan- 
frau,  B.  McAuley,  James  A.  Heme,  Fanny  Davenport, 
Corinne,  Genevieve  Ward,  Mrs.  G.  C.  Howard,  Rose  Ey- 
tinge,  Robson  and  Crane,  W.  H.  Gillette,  A.  Caufman,  Miss 
Jeffreys  Lewis,  C.  Murielle,  Kate  Claxton,  George  S. 
Knight,  T.  W.  Keene,  Tony  Denier,  Lawrence  Barrett,  John 
A.  Stevens,  Joseph  Murphy,  Gus  Williams,  Neil  Burgess, 
Lizzie  May  Ulmer  and  Pearl  Eytinge.  Emma  Abbott  ami 
her  opera  company  gave  the  operas  of  "Martha,"  "Patience," 
"Chimes  of  Normandy,"  "Maritana"  and  "Romeo  and 
Juliet."  The  Strakosch  Opera  Company  gave  "  Faust," 
with  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  and  "Carmen,"  with  Minnie 
Hauk,  John  Stetson's  Opera  Company  gave  "  Patieni 
with  Vernona  Jarbeau  in  the  title  role.  The  Hanlons  first 
brought  out  "  Le  Voyage  en  Suisse  "that  season,  and  hail 
large  but  not  crowded  audiences.  They  came  late  in  the 
season,  beginning  May  22d.  Miss  Jeffreys  Lewis  made  an 
artistic  but  not  a  financial  success  in  "Two  Nights  in  Rome." 

Low's  Opera  House  had  a  remarkably  bad  opening  that 
season  with  a  melange  called  "Medical  Students,"  written  b) 
Dr.  Sweet,  of  Springfield,  who  ought  to  have  been  made  to 
swallow  some  of  the  worst  physic  he  ever  administered  before 
he  ever  gave  such  a  dose  to  the  public.  This  was  followed  by 
another  abortion  called  "Mimics."  Then  came  Robinson's 
"  Humpty  Dumpty,"  a  great  improvement  over  the  others, 
but  poor  enough  at  that.  Calender's  Minstrels  followed  and 
gave  a  very  good  show.  Frank  Frayne  came  next,  with  pooi 
success.  Annie  Pixley  had  crowded  houses  for  the  week 
ginning  October  3d.  The  other  crowded  houses  of  the 
son  were  drawn  by  Neil  Burgess,  the  Boston  Museum  " 
tience"  Company,  Barry  and  Fay,  Edwin  Booth,  the  Boston 
Ideals,  and  Miss  Ada  Coombs.  The  two  great  events  oi  the 
season  were  the  appearance  of  Rossi  on  the  i;th  and  [8th  of 
October,  and  of  Edwin  Booth,  January  3d  and  4th.     Both  of 


232  HISTORY     OF     THE 

these  distinguished  artists  attracted  audiences  of  excellent 
quality,  Mr.  Booth,  of  course,  having  much  the  largest  house. 
Boucicault,  Joseph  Jefferson,  Janauschek,  J.  K.  Emmet,  and 
others  also  appeared  at  this  house,  were  kindly  received,  a*d 
went  away  with  a  balance  on  the  right  side. 

The  theatrical  season  of  1882-83,  which  was  the  twelfth  of 
the  Providence  Opera  House,  was  one  of  the  most  important 
ones  in  the  history  of  that  house,  as  it  was  also  in  the  history 
of  Low's  house.  At  the  first-named  house  it  brought  Mr. 
James  O'Neill  for  the  first  time  as  a  star".  It  also  brought  for 
the  first  time  here  Mr.  F.  S.  Chanfrau  and  wife  together, 
Mile.  Theo,  "Esmeralda,"  James  E.  Murdoch,  Celia  Logan, 
Ada  Dyas,  Margaret  Mather,  Mrs.  Langtry,  Mile.  Rhea,  and 
it  was  further  distinguished  by  the  appearance  of  the  Conti- 
nental Guards,  of  New  Orleans,  who  gave  a  series  of  pretty 
tableaux,  which  were  much  admired  by  military  men. 

At  Low's  the  season  first  brought  out  here  Mr.  Oscar 
Wilde,  who  created  a  great  sensation  ;  Haverly's  excellent 
"  Merry  War  "  Company,  the  "Squatter  Sovereignty,"  from 
Harrigan's,  which  crowded  the  house  for  a  week  ;  the  Equine 
Paradox  of  Bartholomew's,  which  made  another  great  suc- 
cess ;  Rice's  "  Iolanthe,"  giving  the  first  production  of  that 
opera  in  Providence  and  filling  the  house  nightly  ;  Stuart 
Cumberland,  the  mind  reader,  who  was  the  talk  of  the  town 
for  his  clever  work  ;  Charles  Wyndham's  celebrated  comedy 
company,  which  also  drew  fashionable  audiences  ;  Etelka 
Borry,  the  Viennese  star,  and  the  Thalia  Theatre  Company, 
which  gave  three  of  the  best  entertainments  ever  witnessed 
in  Providence,  but  which  were  not  well  patronized,  principally 
on  account  of  the  hot  weather. 

With  such  a  list  of  good  attractions  the  season  ought  to 
have  been  a  very  profitable  one,  but  it  was  not  so.  At  the 
Providence  Opera  House,  the  crowded  houses  were  drawn  by 
the  "  Lights  o'  London  "  Company,  Mme.  Theo,  Gus  Williams, 
(who  played  for  the  benefit  of  the  Police  Association),  Sal- 
vini,  Thatcher,  Primrose  and  West,  Mary  Anderson,  and  Tony 
Pastor.  The  fairly  good  houses  were  attracted  by  "  Hearts 
of  Oak,"  Lawrence  Barrett,  Lotta,  Maggie  Mitchell,  Modjeska, 
"  Esmeralda,"  Wallack's  Company  in  the  "  Queen's  Shilling," 
George  S.  Knight,  Baker  and  Farron,  the  Boston  Theatre 
"  White  Slave  "  Company,  Thomas  Keene,  Ada  Dyas,  John 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  233 

McCullough,  the  Hanlons,  Robscn  and  Crane,  Margaret 
Mather,  "  Monte  Cristo,"  Haverly's  Minstrels,  John  T.  Ray- 
mond, Joseph  Murphy,  and  Mile.  Rhea. 

"  Alvin  Joslin  "  opened  the  season  August  28th,  and  it 
closed  June  23d  with  Mason  and  Griffin.  Mme.  Theo  gave 
the  "Parfameuse"  to  much  the  largest  and  most  fashionable 
audience  of  the  season.  It  was  a  pretty  "loud"  performance 
for  Providence,  and  many  of  the  ladies  present  would  have  no 
doubt  parted  with  a  good  sum  if  they  could  have  escaped  with- 
out too  much  notice.  Mrs.  Langtry  gave  three  performances. 
She  drew  from  the  wealthy  class  of  theatre-goers,  but  she 
was  not  considered  much  of  an  artist  at  that  time.  The  small- 
est audience  that  ever  assembled  in  the  Opera  House  was  at 
a  lecture  given  by  Mrs.  Celia  A.  Logan  on  Sunday  evening, 
December  3d,  the  receipts  being  but  a  trifle  more  than  four 
dollars. 

Some  of  the  attractions  of  the  season  which  have  not  been 
mentioned  above,  were  the  Strakosch  Opera  Company,  with 
Letitia  Fritch,  Zelda  Seguin,  Montegriffo  and  others,  in  the 
operas  of  "  Fatinitza"  and  the  "Bohemian  Girl ;"  the  "World" 
Company,  Doud  Byron,  Neil  Burgess,  Hague's  Minstrels,  who 
on  that  occasion  first  introduced  to  Providence  the  song  of 
"  We  Never  Speak  as  We  Pass  By ; "  the  Troubadours,  Spaukl- 
ing  Bell  Ringers;  "Youth"  for  ten  nights  by  the  Boston 
Theatre  Company;  "Hazel  Kirke;"the  Lingards;  Barry  and 
Fay,  Herrmann,  Joseph  Proctor,  McKee  Rankin,  Boston 
Theatre  Company  in  "Free  Pardon,"  Carrie  Swain,  Snydei 
and  Grau  "Iolanthe"  Company,  Charles  Fostelle  in  "Mrs. 
Partington,"  "The  Professor,"  Palmer  and  Ulmer's  Company, 
Janauschek,  Frank  Frayne,  John  A.  Stevens,  Ada  Gray, 
"Romany  Rye,"  with  Robert  Mantell  in  the  leading  rd/e, 
Pauline  Markham,  Lizzie  May  Ulmer  and  Joe  Emmet. 

Kate  Claxton  opened  the  season  at  Low's  Opera  House, 
September  16th,  and  it  closed  May  30th  with  the  Thalia 
Theatre  Company.  The  only  crowded  houses  were  drawn  b> 
Annie  Pixley,  the  Boston  Ideals,  the  Letter  Carriers  an.: 
Equine  Paradox.  Those  who  did  fairly  well  were  B.  Mi 
Auley,  Mrs.  Morgan,  the  Rentz-Santley  Company,  Tony  Pas 
tor,  Baird's  Minstrels,  Tom  Thumb  Company,  Arnold  Post 
with  "The  Volunteers,"  Duprez  and  Benedict,  "Sam'l  o' 
Posen"   Calender's   Minstrels,    Willie  Edouin,    the   Kampa 


234  HISTORY     OF    THE 

Orchestra,  the  Brownson  Lyceum  with  "  Colleen  Bawn," 
Aldrich  and  Parsloe,  Nellie  Everett  in  Spiritualism,  Buffalo 
Bill,  Pat  Rooney,  Barlow  and  Wilson,  and  the  Norfolk  Jubilee 
Singers. 

As  stated  above  this  was  Margaret  Mather's  first  visit  to 
Providence.  Her  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Finlayson. 
She  was  born  in  Tillbury,  Canada,  in  i860.  She  was  pre- 
pared for  the  stage  by  Mr.  George  Edgar,  of  New  York,  and 
does  great  credit  to  her  tutor.  She  possesses  natural  ability 
in  a  marked  degree.  About  1885  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Haberkorn,  formerly  leader  of  the  orchestra  at  the  Union 
Square  Theatre  in  New  York. 

Mile.  Rhea  also  came  here  for  the  first  time  that  season. 
She  was  born  in  Brussels,  the  capital  of  Belgium,  about  1848. 
Her  father  was  a  wealthy  manufacturer,  who  died  while  she 
was  still  very  young,  and  she  resolved  to  prepare  herself  for 
the  stage,  for  which  she  had  a  passionate  love.  In  1865  she 
was  thrown  in  the  way  of  Charles  Fechter,  then  in  the  full 
tide  of  success,  and  he  introduced  her  to  Samson,  the  famous 
teacher  of  Rachel.  She  was  admitted  to  the  Paris  Conserva- 
toire, and  placed  under  the  renowned  Beauvallet.  For  ten 
years  she  was  a  favorite  in  France,  and  in  1881  made  her  first 
appearance  in  Boston  in  the  part  of  Adrienne  Lecouvreur,  in 
the  tragedy  of  the  same  name.  Her  most  recent  success  is  as 
the  Empress  Josephine.  She  is  equally  a  favorite  in  England 
and  America. 

James  O'Neill,  who  came  here  as  a  star  that  season,  was 
born  in  Ireland,  but  came  to  this  country  when  very  young. 
He  made  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage  at  the  old  National 
Theatre  in  Cincinnati.  After  playing  a  round  of  parts  as 
juvenile  man  in  that  theatre  he  went  with  John  Ford,  of 
Baltimore,  in  1868-69.  After  that  he  was  leading  man  with 
John  Ellsler,  of  Cleveland,  O.,  where  he  supported  all  the 
travelling  stars  at  that  time,  including  Edwin  Forrest,  Joseph 
Jefferson,  Lawrence  Barrett,  Edwin  Adams,  Mrs.  Bowers, 
Maggie  Mitchell,  and  many  others.  After  the  Chicago  fire 
he  was  leading  man  at  McVicker's  Theatre,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years,  supporting  Edwin  Booth,  Charlotte 
Cushman,  Adelaide  Neilson,  Wm.  J.  Florence,  etc.  From 
there  he  went  to  Hooley's  Theatre,  in  Chicago,  as  leading 
man.      The  following  year  he  went  to  California  with  a  com- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  235 

pany  from  Hooley's  Theatre,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
He  then  joined  A.  M.  Palmer's  company  at  the  Union  Square 
Theatre  in  New  York,  to  share  the  leading  business  with 
Charles  R.  Thorne,  Jr.,  during  which  he  played  in  all  of  the 
Union  Square  successes.  Returning  to  San  Francisco,  under 
Mr.  Palmer's  management,  to  play  in  "A  Celebrated  Case," 
he  remained  there  three  months,  when  his  engagement  with 
A.  M.  Palmer  came  to  an  end.  Mr.  Palmer  desired  him  to 
renew  the  engagement,  but  he  preferred  to  take  the  position 
of  stock  star  at  the  Baldwin  Theatre,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  It  was  during  this  engagement  that  he  was 
called  upon  to  impersonate  Our  Saviour  in  the  "  Passion 
Play,"  a  translation  from  the  German  by  Salmi  Morse.  The 
play  ran  for  three  weeks.  A  few  months  later  he  was  en- 
gaged by  Henry  E.  Abbey  to  play  the  same  part  at  Booth's 
Theatre  in  New  York.  Mr.  Abbey  failed  to  produce  the 
play,  and  Mr.  O'Neill  remained  at  the  theatre  as  leading  man 
for  the  rest  of  the  season.  The  year  following  he  starred  in 
all  of  the  principal  cities  in  a  play  called  the  "American 
King"  and  "A  Celebrated  Case,"  returning  to  Booth's  The- 
atre, under  the  management  of  John  Stetson,  where  he 
played  the  part  of  Edmond  Dantes  in  "Monte  Cristo."  He 
then  travelled  throughout  the  country  for  seven  years  in  this 
same  part,  making  a  snug  little  fortune  by  it.  In  May,  1890, 
he  produced  Henry  Irving's  version  of  "The  Dead  Heart  " 
at  .Hooley's  Theatre  in  Chicago,  playing  it  for  an  entire 
season,  with  the  exception  of  the  usual  summer  vacation.  In 
May,  1891,  he  produced  "The  Envoy  "  at  the  Star  Theatre 
in  New  York. 


CHAPTER     XXIII. 

1884-1886. 

a  poor  theatrical  season—"  young  mrs.  wlnthrop  "  and"  j  alma  " 
—Lawrence  Barrett  in  "Francesca  di  Rimini  "  —  Engagement 
of  Henry  Irving  at  Low's— Sketch  of  Mr.  Irving— Last  season 
of  Mr.  Hackett's  management  at  Providence  Opera  House- 
Duff's  Opera  Company  in  "A  Night  in  Venice  "— Janish,  the 
Austrian  actress— Sketch  of  Robert  B.  Mantell— Robert  Mor- 
row TAKES  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  OPERA  HOUSE— 

—The   "Mikado"  and  other  successes— Sketch  of  the  Yokes 
Family— Sketch  of  Rose  Coghlan. 

THE  theatrical  season  of  1883-84,  which  was  the  thir- 
teenth at  the  Providence  Opera  House,  was  one  of  the 
poorest,  financially,  that  was  probably  ever  known  in 
Providence.  There  were  sixty-one  different  attractions  at 
the  Providence,  and  forty-four  at  Low's,  yet  at  the  former 
only  six  of  these  attractions  had  crowded  houses,  and  at  the 
latter  there  were  only  three.  A  large  majority  of  the  attrac- 
tions were  of  good  quality,  and  some  of  them  far  above  the 
standard.  "Young  Mrs.  Winthrop  "  was  first  seen  here  that 
season,  and  so  was  "Jalma,"  with  all  its  glittering  armors,  its 
grand  staircase  and  elaborate  scenery.  This,  in  many  re- 
spects, was  the  most  complete  spectacular  play  ever  produced 
in  Providence  ;  but  while  it  was  the  talk  of  the  town,  the 
audiences  were  never  large  enough  to  fill  the  house.  It  was 
the  more  surprising,  because  it  had  just  had  a  very  long  and 
successful  run  in  Boston,  and,  therefore,  it  could  not  be  said 
that  its  merits  were  unknown  to  Providence  people.  Law- 
rence Barrett  came  here  that  year  with  his  play  of  "  Francesca 
di  Rimini,"  then  in  its  first  season.  On  the  opening  night  it 
rained  in  torrents,  and  the  audience  was  so  small  that  Mr. 
Barrett  was  quite  discouraged.  The  second  night  the  house 
was  nearly  full,  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  week   it  was 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  2 3 7 

crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Margaret  Mather  made  her 
second  visit  that  season  and  had  crowded  houses  from  the 
start.  The  other  crowded  houses  of  the  season  were  drawn 
by  James  O'Neill  in  "Monte  Cristo,"  Haverly's  Minstrels, 
the  Elks'  benefit,  and  Barlow  and  Wilson's  Minstrels.  Fair 
houses  were  drawn  by  Barry  and  Fay,  the  "Siberia"  Com- 
pany, the  "  Black  Flag,"  Kate  Claxton,  Roland  Reed,  the 
Boston  Bijou  Company  in  the  opera  of  "Virginia,"  Stetson's 
"Pique"  Company,  Hearts  of  Oak,"  Maggie  Mitchell,  Janau- 
schek,  "  Esmeralda,"  Brownson  Lyceum,  Stetson's  "  Confu- 
sion," Nat.  Goodwin,  Lizzie  May  Ulmer,  Thomas  Keene, 
Robinson  and  Crane,  the  Boston  Museum  Company  in  the 
"  Celebrated  Case,"  the  Lucier  Family,  the  "  Bunch  of  Keys," 
John  T.  Raymond  (who  presented  his  new  play  "  For  Con- 
gress "),  Baker  and  Farron,  the  "Devil's  Auction,"  the 
Hanlons,  Oliver  Doud  Byron,  Salsbury's  Troubadours,  the 
"  Rajah,"  the  "  Romany  Rye,"  Joseph  Murphy,  Joseph  Jeffer- 
son, and  Hackett's  benefit.  There  were  some  very  bad 
"  shows  "  that  year  at  this  house,  such'  as  "  Yakee,"  with  the 
Wymans  in  it,  the  "  Flying  Dutchman,"  "  Carrick-a-Rede," 
written  for  D.  J.  Maguinness,  the  "  Power  of  Money,"  "  Uncle 
Sam,"  etc.  All  of  these  attracted  very  poor  houses,  the 
Wymans,  especially,  hardly  getting  a  corporal's  guard  present 
in  any  night  during  the  week.  Of  the  others  who  were 
poorly  patronized  there  were  Topsy  Venn,  in  "  Furnished 
Rooms,"  Lizzie  Harold,  Daly  and  Derious,  Gus  Williams, 
Tony  Denier,  the  Davene  troupe,  Sol.  Smith  Russell  and 
Sully's  "  Corner  Grocery."  The  season  opened  with  "  Ranch 
10,"  August  27th,  and  was  closed  by  Dan  Sully  May  24th. 

Low's  Opera  House  did  not  open  that  season  until  the  1 6th 
of  September,  when  the  American  Band  played  to  large  audi- 
ences. The  great  event  of  the  season  was  the  engagement 
of  Henry  Irving,  the  nights  of  March  14th  and  15th;  the 
houses  were  large,  but  not  crowded.  His  failure  to  bring 
Ellen  Terry  along  probably  lost  him  several  hundred  dollars 
on  the  engagement.  Tony  Pastor,  Annie  Pixley  and  the 
Equine  Paradox  were  the  only  attractions  that  had  crowded 
houses,  but  there  were  quite  a  number  who  did  an  average 
business,  such  as  C.  L.  Davis,  the  Boston  [deals,  "Her 
Atonement,"  the  Duprez  Minstrels,  "7-20-S,"  "McSoi 
Inflation,"  Dowling's  "Nobody's  Claim,"    Win.   J.    Scanlan, 


238  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  Rentz-Santley  Company,  Rose  Eytinge,  Dr.  Hutchinson, 
the  Tourists,  the  Kernells,  Wheatley  and  Trainor  organiza- 
tion, the  Howard  Specialty  Company,  Buffalo  Bill,  Bouci- 
cault,  Callender's  Minstrels,  Pat  Rooney,  the  "  Truth  "  Com- 
pany, the  play  being  almost  identically  the  same  as  that 
which  had  been  played  the  last  week  at  the  same  house  under 
the  name  of  "  The  Wages  of  Sin."  The  latter  is  the  original 
name,  and  the  company  which  came  here  and  played  it  under 
the  name  of  "Truth  "  were  nightly  expecting  an  injunction 
from  Maubury  and  Overton,  who  owned  the  original.  Small 
audiences  were  drawn  by  such  good  artists  as  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chanfrau,  the  Boston  Museum  Company,  Frank  Mayo,  John 
E.  Owens,  B.  McAuley,  and  Aldrich  and  Parsloe.  Many  of 
the  artists  who  played  to  poor  business  in  Providence  that 
season  said  they  would  never  come  here  again,  and  some  of 
them  have  kept  their  word. 

Henry  Irving  was  born  in  Keinton,  near  Glastonbury,  Eng- 
land, Feb.  6,  1838.  He  was  educated  in  London.  His  first  ap- 
pearance on  the  stage  was  at  the  Sunderland  Theatre,  in  1856. 
He  then  went  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years.  In  September,  1859,  ne  appeared  at  the  Princesses' 
Theatre,  London,  for  a  few  months.  In  the  following  year 
he  was  "leading  man"  in  Glasgow,  afterwards  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Theatre  Royal,  Manchester,  where  he  re- 
mained until  April,  1865.  It  was  at  this  well-conducted  es- 
tablishment Mr.  Irving  may  be  said  to  have  learned  the  tech- 
nique of  his  art,  as  he  played  quite  a  hundred  characters  in 
all  sorts  of  plays,  besides  supporting  the  various  stars  that 
visited  the  great  manufacturing  city.  His  salary  at  the 
Theatre  Royal  was  less  than  ^5  per  week,  and  the  work  he 
did  for  this  modest  sum  was  enormous.  From  Manchester 
he  went  to  Liverpool,  and  from  Liverpool  to  London,  where 
he  came  out  at  St.  James's  Theatre  as  Doricourt  in  the  "  Belle's 
Stratagem."  He  played  several  other  characters  at  that 
theatre,  and  from  that  period  he  became  identified  with  the 
portraiture  of  villainy  in  all  its  forms.  Mr.  Irving's  chef 
d'ceuvre,  in  the  opinion  of  his  greatest  admirers,  is  undoubt- 
edly Mephistophelcs,  which  is  a  marvellous  performance,  and 
his  Louis  the  Eleventh  will  long  live  in  the  memory  as  a 
powerful  and  highly  finished  stage  performance.     His  visits 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 


^39 


to  America  have  rendered  him  as  great  a  favorite  here  as  he 
is  in  his  native  England. 

The  season  of  1884-85,  the  fourteenth  at  the  Providence 
Opera  House,  was  the  last  of  Mr.  Hackett's  management. 
It  was  not  a  very  profitable  one,  although  a  majority  of  the 
attractions  were  better  than  for  a  season  or  two  pre vii 
The  house  was  opened  by  the  Redmund  and  Barry  company 
in  a  "  Midnight  Marriage,"  and  they  had  fairly  good  houses 
for  the  week.  "  Mugg's  Landing"  followed,  but  it  didn't 
suit  the  popular  taste,  consequently  vacant  seats  were  abund- 
ant. The  next  attraction  that  followed  was  one  of  Archi- 
bald Clavering  Gunter's  peculiar  plays,  with  the  peculiar  title 
of  "  D.  A.  M."  It  was  not  so  bad  a  play  as  Gunter  has 
sometimes  written,  but  it  was  so  bad  that  nobody  wanted  to 
see  it  twice.  "Crimes  of  London"  was  the  next,  and,  with 
one  exception,  it  was  the  worst  of  the  season.  The  excep- 
tion was  a  hodge-podge  called  "P.  Q.,  or  a  Night  in  the  Si- 
erras." It  is  safe  to  say  that  a  night  in  the  Sierras  would  not 
be  so  dreadful  a  sentence  as  to  be  compelled  to  listen  to  this 
play.  The  only  crowded  houses  of  the  season  were  drawn 
by  James  O'Neill  in  "Monte  Cristo,"  Thatcher,  Primrose  & 
West,  Margaret  Mather,  Edwin  Booth,  and  the  author  of 
this  volume,  whose  benefit  took  place  on  Friday  afternoon, 
March  20th.  In  addition  to  the  plays  already  spoken  of, 
which  were  produced  that  season,  were  the  "  Parlor  Match," 
"  Storm  Beaten,"  "In  the  Ranks,"  "  Pavements  of  Paris," 
"Adamless  Eden,"  "  Excelsior,"  "Twins,"  "Shadows  of  a 
Great  City,"  "  May  Blossom,"  "Siberia"  and  "Fantasma." 
Among  the  stars  who  came  that  season  were  Minnie  Maddern, 
Roland  Reed,  Eric  Bayley,  George  S.  Knight,  Minnie  Palmer, 
Sol  Smith  Russell,  Robson  and  Crane.  Lotta,  Ristori,  Baker 
and  Farron,  J.  A.  Stevens,  T.  W.  Keene,  J.  K.  Emmet, 
Murray  and  Murphy,  Maggie  Mitchell,  Joseph  Murphy  and 
Jacques  Kruger.  Margaret  Mather  made  two  visits  that  5 
son,  doing  a  great  business  each  time.  Anion-  the  gi 
things  of  that  season  were  Duff's  Opera  Company  in  "A 
Night  in  Venice,"  and  Kiralfy  Brothers'  "  Excel;  i 

Three  attractions  only  drew  crowded  houses  that  season  to 
Low's  Opera  House.     These  were  "Adamless  Eden,"  '    I  I 
vene  and  Austin,"  and  the  Boston   Ideals.     The  former  was 
then  new  to  Providence,  and  it  came  at  a  time  when  the  Gity 


24O  HISTORY    OF 

Council  Committee  was  inclined  to  be  rather  strict  about  the 
morality  of  entertainments.  The  house  was  crowded  with 
males.  Everybody  expected  to  see  a  very  "loud"  show, 
judging  by  the  pictorial  printing  that  had  been  put  upon 
the  walls.  Nothing  out  of  order  was  given,  however,  and  it 
was  really  so  good  that  the  company  came  to  the  Providence 
Opera  House  later  in  the  season  and  played  to  good  business 
for  two  nights.  Mile.  Aimee  came  with  her  play  of  "  Mam'- 
zelle  "  for  the  first  time  that  season,  and  played  to  large  bus- 
iness, even  against  political  torchlight  parades.  The  same 
play  has  subsequently  been  given  in  the  same  house  by 
Alice  Harrison.  "  Orpheus  and  Eurydice "  was  another 
popular  attraction  of  the  season.  Moore  and  Holmes's  Bur- 
lesque Company  made  a  good  impression,  but  were  none  too 
well  patronized.  The  "  Seven  Ravens,"  "  Called  Back,"  with 
Mantel],  "  Her  Atonement,"  "  Zozo,  the  Magic  Queen,"  all 
came  that  season  for  the  first  time.  Janish,  the  Austrian 
actress,  tried  hard  to  make  herself  popular,  but  failed  to  do 
so.  On  her  second  night  she  was  the  guest  of  the  Ladies' 
Rhode  Island  Hospital  Aid  Association,  at  one  of  their  re- 
ceptions at  the  Narragansett  Hotel.  Among  the  other  vis- 
itors to  Low's  that  season  were  Tony  Pastor,  Fannie  Os- 
borne, Bennett  and  Moulton's  Opera  Company,  the  Leopolds, 
Neil  Burgess,  William  Stafford  and  Evelyn  Foster,  Dominick 
Murray,  George  S.  Knight,  Harrison  and  Gourlay,  William 
Carroll  and  the  Southern  Minstrels.  Reeves's  "  Pinafore  " 
Company  gave  three  entertainments  to  three  good  houses. 

Robert  B.  Mantell,  who  came  that  season  in  "  Called 
Back,"  was  born  in  Irvine,  Ayreshire,  Scotland,  in  1854;  was 
brought  up  in  the  city  of  Belfast,  where  he  made  his  debut 
as  an  amateur.  His  first  appearance  as  a  professional  was  in 
1874,  at  Rochdale,  in  England,  as  the  Sergeant,  in  "Arrah 
na  Pogue."  He  afterwards  played  opposite  characters  to 
Miss  Wallis,  the  English  tragedienne,  for  about  three  years. 
His  next  engagement  was  in  the  United  States  as  leading- 
man  in  the  "  Romany  Rye,"  the  part  in  which  he  was  first 
seen  in  this  city.  Subsequently  he  was  leading  man  in 
Fanny  Davenport's  "Fedora"  Company;  next  as  a  star  in 
"Called  Back"  and  "Tangled  Lives  ;"  then  as  "Monbars," 
and  in  1889-90  in  the  "  Corsican  Brothers."  He  is  now  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  is  likely  to  be  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  dramatic  world  for  years  to  come. 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE.  24 1 

Mr.  Robert  Morrow  succeeded  George  Hackett  as  the 
manager  of  the  Providence  Opera  House,  and  although  it 
was  a  new  experience  to  him,  he  succeeded  in  greatly  im- 
proving the  list  of  attractions  offered,  and  also  in  improving  the 
appearance  of  the  house,  both  before  and  behind  the  curtain. 
His  first  treasurer  was  Mr.  A.  II.  Dexter,  who  was  succeeded 
by  Harry  Wilson,  and  the  latter  by  Harry  Callender.  Mile. 
Rhea  opened  the  season  Sept.  21,  1885,  and  did  a  fair  week's 
business,  notwithstanding  the  weather  was  exceedingly  hot. 
She  presented  nearly  all  the  plays  in  her  repertoire,  and 
pleased  the  audiences.  Redmund  and  Barry  followed,  but 
were  not  successful.  Then  came  several  attractions,  includ- 
ing "Around  the  World,"  Daly's  "Vacation"  Company, 
"Clio,"  Effie  Ellsler,  Rosina  Vokes  and  Maggie  Mitchell, 
all  appearing  to  excellent  houses.  Rosina  Vokes  came  for 
the  first  time  that  season,  unaccompanied  by  the  other 
members  of  her  family,  and  the  people  liked  her  immensely, 
especially  in  "My  Milliner's  Bill  "  and  the  "Private  Re- 
hearsal." 

"The  Vokes  Family,"  so  long  known  to  the  American 
stage,  comprising  Fawdon,  Frederic  M.,  Jessie,  Victoria  and 
Rosina  Vokes,  were  born  in  London,  and  the  four  eldest  made 
their  appearance  in  America  in  1868.  They  made  a  tremen- 
dous success  here.  Rosina,  the  youngest,  with  her  infect- 
ious laugh  and  high  spirits,  was  the  favorite.  She  is  still  ex- 
ceedingly popular  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  She  is  the 
wife  of  Cecil  Clay,  formerly  an  attorney  in  London,  but  now 
her  manager. 

The  "  Mikado,"  with  John  Stetson's  Company,  also  came 
for  the  first  time  that  season,  and  the  houses  were  so  crowded 
for  a  week  that  a  return  date  was  made  a  feu  weeks  after, 
and  then  still  another.  The  last  of  the  three  engagements 
was  with  the  No.  2  Company,  but  the  opera  was  so  pleasing 
to  the  people  that  the  houses  were  still  large.  Mar)  Ander- 
son also  came  that  season,  fresh  from  her  first  visit  and  gi 
success  in  Europe,  and  the  seats  were  all  takm  early.  Hei 
date  was  December  14th.  Clara  Morris  made  her  first  ap- 
pearance for  some  years,  January  29th,  and  then-  was  only 
standing  room,  and  not  much  of  that.  Margaret  Mather, 
Thatcher,  Primrose  and  West,  Lawrence  Barrett,  the  Han 
Ions,   Fanny  Davenport,  Denman  Thompson,     Joseph   Mur- 

10 


242  HISTORY     OF     THE 

phy,  and  Robson  and  Crane  had  no  reason  to  complain  of 
their  patronage,  most  of  them  having  crowded  houses.  In 
contrast  to  this  were  Professor  Cromwell  (who  couldn't  draw 
enough  to  pay  for  the  gas),  Loudon  McCormack,  "  Dark  Days," 
(one  of  the  best  companies  and  best  plays  ever  seen  in  this  city), 
Lillian  Lewis,  Kate  Castleton,  Bella  Moore,  Ethel  Tucker, 
the  "  Coronation  of  Columbus,"  the  "  Ivy  Leaf,"  J.  B.  Polk 
and  Tony  Hart.  All  of  these  had  poor  business.  The 
"  Ratcatcher "  was  one  of  the  attractions  which  had  hard 
luck.  The  company  was  a  large  one  and  the  houses  were 
only  fair.  They  were  to  go  away  on  Saturday  night,  but  the 
flood  which  came  on  Friday,  Feb.  12,  1886,  had  broken  up 
all  railroad  connection  between  Providence  and  Stonington, 
so  that  New  York  could  not  be  reached.  Finally  on  Sun- 
day night  the  Stonington  Steamboat  Company  sent  one  of 
their  boats  to  Providence,  and  it  took  away  this  company,  as 
well  as  numerous  other  delayed  passengers. 

Mr.  Morrow  tried  a  stock  company  for  several  weeks  after 
the  close  of  his  regular  season.  It  began  May  18th,  and  con- 
tinued until  after  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  plays  presented 
were  the  "Three  Guardsmen,"  "Sea  of  Ice,"  "Lucretia  Bor- 
gia," "Omnibus,"  "Under  the  Gaslight,"  "Two  Orphans," 
"  Man  Without  a  Country,"  "  Ingomar,"  and  "  My  Awful 
Dad."  The  company  met  with  fair  success,  and  Mr.  Morrow 
probably  did  not  lose  any  money,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
had  an  experience  which  was  of  value  to  him. 

Crowded  houses  were  not  very  numerous  at  Low's  Grand 
Opera  House  this  season.  The  opening  was  excellent,  how- 
ever, with  Thatcher,  Primrose  and  West's  Minstrels,  Septem- 
ber 4th  and  5th.  The  large  houses  were  drawn  by  the  "  Rag 
Baby  "  (with  Marion  Elmore  in  it)  ;  Rose  Coghlan,  who  made 
her  first  appearance  as  a  star  ;  Kate  Claxton,  Annie  Pixley, 
Professor  Bristol's  horses,  Mile.  Aimee,  George  S.  Knight, 
John  W.  Sayles,  Dan  Sully,  the  Boston  Ideals,  C.  W.  Coul- 
dock,  the  "  Rajah,"  Lester  and  Allen,  James  O'Neill,  Jack 
Ashton,  "Young  Mrs.  Winthrop,"  and  the  "Mikado."  One 
of  the  failures  of  that  season  was  the  Irish  play,  entitled 
"  Denny  Doon,"  written  for  Hugh  Fay  to  star  in,  and  backed 
by  William  Harris,  of  Boston.     It  had  a  short  life. 

Rose  Coghlan,  who  first  appeared  as  a  star  at  this  house, 
this   season,  was   born   in   London  about   1856.     She  is  the 


PROVIDENCK    STAGE. *  243 

daughter  of  a  Church  of  England  clergyman,  and,  like  her 
brother  Charles,  she  received  an  excellent  education.  She 
made  her  de'but  as  one  of  the  witches  in  "Macbeth,"  it 
said,  with  very  unsatisfactory  results,  because  of  an  attack oi 
stage  fright.  However,  she  became  leading  lady  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  and  supported  at  the  provincial  theatres  a  num- 
ber of  the  prominent  stars.  At  Drury  Lane  she  played  the 
leading  feminine  roles  to  Barry  Sullivan's  Hamlet,  Richard 
III.,  Benedick,  and  Macbeth. 

In  1875  Miss  Coghlan  accompanied  Mr.  Sothern  to  Amer- 
ica, where  her  career  has  been  one  grand  triumph.  She  was 
at  once  recognized  as  an  actress  of  rare  ability,  and  as  Lady 

Teazle,  Peg  Woffington,  Jocelyn,  etc.,  she  has  no  superior  on 

the  American  stage. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

1887-1889. 


Mk.  Morrow's  second  season— "The  Little  Tycoon,"  "Ruddygore" 
and  "Theodora" — Richard  Mansfield  and  other  good  stars- 
Sketch  of  Joseph  Haworth- Sketch  of  Frederic  B.  Warde— 
Sketches  of  Stuart  Robson  and  Wm.  H.  Crane— Mr.  13.  F.  Keith 
secures  the  lease  of  Low's  Opera  House — Seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  seasons  at  the  Providence  Opera  House— First 
appearance  here  of  julia  marlowe— sketch  of  mlss  mar- 
lowe— Sketch  of  Joseph  F.  Wheelock. 


THE  sixteenth  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House 
opened  Sept.  6,  1886,  and  closed  June  i,  1887.  PVed- 
eric  Warde,  the  vigorous  young  actor,  opened  it, 
and  John  L.  Sullivan,  the  champion  pugilist,  closed  it.  That 
was  before  Sullivan  had  gone  upon  the  stage  as  an  actor. 
This  was  Mr.  Morrow's  second  season,  and  his  able  manage- 
ment had  become  so  well  known  to  theatrical  people  that  he 
was  almost  able  to  select  his  attractions  just  as  he  wanted 
them.  Mr.  Warde  made  a  good  opening — much  better  than 
was  expected.  Lewis  Morrison  followed  with  a  version  of 
"Faust,"  which  was  carefully  and  somewhat  elaborately 
staged,  and  in  which  Mr.  Morrison  did  some  excellent 
acting. 

The  first  great  treat  of  the  season  was  the  production  of 
the  "  Little  Tycoon,"  by  the  original  company,  with  Will  S. 
Rising,  Elma  Delaro,  Robert  E.  Graham  and  the  others  who 
became  such  prime  favorites  with  the  patrons.  The  week's 
business  was  very  large,  but  it  was  exceeded  by  "  Erminie," 
although  it  was  difficult  to  tell  which  gave  the  best  satisfac- 
tion. Another  success  in  the  operatic  way  was  "  Ruddy- 
gore,"  by  John  Stetson's  grand  company,  with  Helen  La- 
mont,  Alice  Carle,  George  Frothingham,  Brocolini,  Phil 
Branson  and  others.     "Ruddygore,"  it  is  said,  was  not  such 


PROVIDENCE     STAG]  .  245 

a  great  success  in  other  cities,  but  Providence  people  lib 
great  many  things  that  other  communities  do  not  like,  and 
dislike  a  great  many  things  that  are  liked  elsewhere. 

A  dramatic  production  which  created  quite  a  sensation 
that  year  was  "Theodora,"  with  its  wealth  of  scenery, 
its  lions,  etc.  Poor  Lillian  Olcott,  the  heroine,  has  since 
passed  away.  She  was  not  a  first-class  artist,  but  one  could 
not  resist  admiration  of  her  energy,  her  brave  struggle  to 
reach  a  lofty  position,  and  her  success  in  obtaining  a  play  for 
which  so  many  were  bidding.  Genevieve  Ward's  visit  that 
season  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  She  was  accompanied  by 
W.  H.  Vernon,  one  of  the  most  graceful  actors  that  the  local 
stage  has  ever  seen. 

Richard  Mansfield  made  his  first  and  only  visit  as  a  star. 
The  business  was  light,  but  the  artistic  success  was  great. 
Robert  Downing,  Louis  James  and  Frederic  Bryton  were 
three  other  new  stars  who  came,  although  all  of  them 
had  been  seen  here  before  in  stock  companies.  Among  t he- 
other  attractions  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  were  Viola 
Allen,  James  O'Neill,  Denman  Thompson,  the  "Mikado," 
"Evangeline,"  "  Held  by  the  Enemy,"  Barry  and  Fay,  Marie 
Prescott,  "Shadows  of  a  Great  City,"  Maggie  Mitchell,  J.  B. 
Polk,  Eben  Plympton,  Dion  Boucicault  in  "The  jilt," 
(which  was  a  grand  success),  Lawrence  Barrett  in  "  Rien 
Margaret  Mather,  Effie  Ellsler,  Rose  Coghlan,  "Aphrodite," 
"  Hoodman  Blind,"  with  Joseph  Haworth  and  Sydney  Arm- 
strong, etc.  There  were  forty-nine  attractions,  alto-ether, 
and  among  those  not  previously  mentioned  were  "Michael 
Strogoff,"  "One  of  the  Bravest,"  "Devil's  Auction,"  ••  Our 
Heroes,"  "The  Main  Line,"  Duff's  Opera  Company,  Tony 
Hart,  "Peck's  Bad  Boy,"  "Tin  Soldier,"  the  "  Ratcatchi 
Fanny  Davenport,  "Saints  and  Sinners,"  Patti  Rosa  and 
Joseph  Murphy. 

Low's  Grand  Opera  House  had  forty-five  differenl 
tions  that  season.      Kate  Claxton  opened   it    Sept.   <>.    1 
and  Louise  Arnott  closed  it  July  4,  1SS7.     The 
tions  were  Wilson   Barrett,  the  American   Opera  Company, 
Modjeska,  and    the    McCaull    0  impany.     The     only 

really  crowded  houses  were  drawn  b)  I  tcher,  Prin  roseand 
West's  Minstrels  and  by  tin-  American  Opera  Company. 
Some  of  the  other  companies  and  stars  were  the   "  Bankers 


246  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Daughter,"  Pat  Rooney,  Henry  Chanfrau,  the  Australian 
Novelty  Company,  Arthur  Rehan's  Company  in  "  Nancy  & 
Co.,"  the  "Parlor  Match,"  Frank  Mayo,  the  Hungarian 
Gypsy  Band,  Haverly's  Minstrels,  "  Called  Back,"  Redmund 
and  Barry,  M.  B.  Curtis,  "Hazel  Kirke,"  Ada  Gray,  "Pina- 
fore," by  the  Rhode  Island  Yacht  Club,  etc. 

Joseph  Haworth,  who  came  that  season,  is  a  native  of 
Providence.  He  was  born  here  in  1859.  At  a  youthful  age 
his  ambition  to  become  an  actor  was  encouraged  by  his  de'bnt 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1874.  He  served  a  patient  apprentice- 
ship at  John  Ellsler's  Theatre,  Cleveland,  till  he  received  an 
offer  from  the  Boston  Museum,  which  he  accepted,  and  re- 
mained there  four  years,  when  he  was  offered  the  position  of 
leading  man,  but  he  aspired  to  high  dramatic  preferences. 
His  ambition  was  gratified  by  an  engagement  with  the  late 
John  McCullough,  in  whose  support  he  was  for  two  seasons, 
playing  in  such  roles  as  Icilius  in  "Virginius,"  Cassius,  Iago, 
Phasariiis,  and  in  "  Ingomar,"  with  pronounced  success. 
After  Mr.  McCullough's  retirement,  Mr.  Haworth  supported 
Mary  Anderson,  as  Romeo  to  hex  Juliet.  He  has  made  many 
successes  still  more  recently. 

Frederic  B.  Wardewas  born  at  Oxford,  England,  185 1.  Pie 
was  educated  for  the  bar,  but  came  to  America  about  1866, 
where  he  immediately  made  a  success  on  the  stage.  He  has 
made  successes  in  Forrest's  roles,  Ingomar,  RicJiard  III., 
Damon,   Virginius,  Spartacus,  etc. 

The  seventeenth  season  at  the  Providence  Opera  House 
opened  Aug.  22,  1887,  with  Sweatnam,  Rice  and  Fagan's 
Minstrels,  and  closed  with  Joseph  Murphy  on  the  12th  of 
May,  1888.  The  opening  was  an  excellent  one,  the  house 
being  crowded  and  the  entertainment  one  of  the  best. 
Hoyt's  "Hole  in  the  Ground  "  followed,  with  only  fair  success. 
Ezra  Kendall  came  next  and  was  treated  very  poorly.  Then 
came  a  perfect  fiasco  entitled  "  Circus  in  Town."  Much 
was  expected  of  it,  as  it  had  been  approved  by  E.  E.  Rice  and 
H.  E.  Dixey,  who  seldom  make  a  mistake,  and  also  from  the 
names  of  the  people  engaged  to  appear  in  it.  But  it  met  with 
ignominious  failure.  As  great  a  surprise  on  the  other  side  was 
met  with  in  the  attraction  which  followed.  It  was  the  time  worn 
"  Streets  of  New  York,"  with  George  C.  Boniface  as  Badger, 
and  it   had  four  large  houses.     For  the   next  four  weeks  the 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  247 

Dalys,  Annie  Pixley,  Denman  Thompson,  Rhea,  and  James 
O'Neill  had  full  houses,  and  then  came  another  great  fail- 
ure, that  of  the  "  Two  Johns,"  which  suited  other  parts  of 
the  country,  but  did  not  suit  Providence.  The  next  three  at- 
tractions, which  were  "Shadows  of  a  Great  City,"  Frederick 
Bryton,  and  "  Lights  o'  London,"  had  good  patronage,  but 
Alice  Harrison,  who  followed,  was  unlucky.  Then  came 
Redmund-Barry,  Louis  Aldrich,  Clara  Morris.  Herrmann, 
"Erminie,"  Frederic  Warde,  E.  H.  Sothern,  Sweat  nam, 
Rice  and  Fagan  (their  second  visit),  Gillette  in  a  "  Pink 
Pearl  "  and  "  Editha's  Burglar,"  Lotta,  Arthur  Rehan's  Com- 
pany, the  "Dark  Secret,"  Rosina  Yokes,  Frank  Daniels, 
Frankie  Kemble,  Minnie  Palmer,  the  Parlor  Match,"  Fanny 
Davenport,  R.  B.  Mantell,  Vernona  Jarbeau,  Duff's  Opera 
Company,  "  She,"  the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  all  of  which  were 
well  patronized.  Such  a  list  of  good  attractions  following 
each  other  is  seldom  found,  and  ought  to  have  made  Man- 
ager Morrow  rich  and  happy.  Among  the  other  attract  1 
which  came  that  season  were  "  Lost  in  New  York,"  the  "Tin 
Soldier,"  "Held  by  the  Enemy,"  Dockstader's  Minstrels, 
"  Hoodman  Blind,""  with  Frederick  de  Belleville  in  the  1< 
ing  role,  Kate  Claxton,  Robson  and  Crane,  Margaret 
Mather,  the  "  Little  Tycoon,"  the  "Corsair,"  Maggie  Mitch- 
ell, "  Evangeline,"  and  Joseph  Murphy.  Robson  and  Crane's 
engagement  was  played  on  the  12th,  13th,  14th  and  15th  of 
March,  during  the  great  blizzard,  and  the  last  night  was  an 
extra  one,  because  they  couldn't  get  away,  the  railroad  tracks 
being  blocked  with  snowdrifts.  The  public  was  -lad  oi  it, 
and  the  stars  were  probably  not  very  sorry,  as  their  receipts 
were  much  larger  than  they  had  expected.  The)  were  then 
playing  "The  Henrietta." 

This  was   the  last   appearand  oi    Robson  and  < 

as  joint  stars,  and  it  is  therefore  appropriate  that  a  sketch  oi 
each  should  be  given  here. 

Stuart  Robson  was  born  in  Annapolis.  Maryland,  Mai 
1836,  in  which  ancient  city,  it    is  claimed,  was  given  tin-  I 
theatrical   performance    known    in    America.      He   was  , 
cated  at  St.  John's  College.     Designed  foi  the  ministry,  but 
preferring  another   style    of  acting,  he  made  his  firs! 
ance    on    any  stage   a't    the    Museum   in    Baltimore,  '  1 
1853,  as  the    Waiter  in   "Heir-al  Liu."     First   appeared   in 


248  HISTORY    OF    THE 

New  York,  Sept.  3,  1863,  at  Laura  Keene's  Theatre.  The 
three  following  seasons  he  was  in  Philadelphia.  Then  he 
went  to  Selwyn's  Theatre,  Boston,  where  he  played  Bottom 
in  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  "  for  ten  consecutive  weeks. 
It  may  be  said  of  Mr.  Robson  that  he  has  had  more  ex- 
perience in  legitimate  comedy  characters  than  any  other  com- 
edian of  the  present  generation,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  Mr.  Jefferson.  His  partnership  with  Mr.  Crane  continued 
for  eleven  years,  and  was  dissolved  in  the  spring  of  1889. 

William  H.  Crane  was  born  in  Leicester,  Massachusetts,, 
on  the  30th  of  April,  1845,  and  was  educated  in  Boston.  At 
an  early  age  he  evinced  decided  musical  and  dramatic  ability. 
In  July,  1863,  he  joined  the  Holman  Opera 'Company,  com- 
posed of  young  people,  and  made  his  first  appearance,  July 
13th,  as  the  Notary  in  the  "  Daughter  of  the  Regiment." 
He  remained  with  this  company  for  seven  years.  In  1870 
he  joined  the  Oates  Opera  company  and  remained  with  it  for 
four  years.  In  August,  1874,  he  went  to  Hooley's  Theatre 
in  Chicago,  as  first  comedian,  afterwards  playing  for  a  year 
in  San  Francisco,  with  the  same  company.  Coming  east  in 
1876,  he  met  Mr.  Robson,  and  they  appeared  jointly  for  the 
first  time  at  the  Park  Theatre,  New  York,  in  Grover's  com- 
edy, "Our  Boarding  House."  Mr.  Crane  created  a  genuine 
sensation  by  his  wonderful  imitation  of  the  peculiarities  of 
voice  and  manner  of  his  partner,  Mr.  Robson,  though  phys- 
ically totally  dissimilar,  in  their  grand  production  of  the 
"  Comedy  of  Errors."  Later  Mr.  Crane  attracted  much 
critical  attention  by  his  masterly  performance  of  the  greatest 
of  all  of  Shakspeare's  comedy  creations — Sir  John  Falstaff, 
in  the  "Merry  Wives  of  Windsor." 

The  season  was  one  of  the  best  in  the  history  of  the  Opera 
House. 

Low's  Opera  House  opened  August  25th,  with  Gorman 
Brothers'  Minstrels,  who  were  quite  successful.  Augusta 
Van  Doren  followed  with  Morris's  play,  "  Charlotte  Russe," 
and  met  with  a  dismal  failure.  Then  came  "We,  Us  &  Co.," 
J.  K.  Emmet,  Jennie  Calef,  Keller,  Henry  Chanfrau,  Thatcher, 
Primrose  and  West,  Lillian  Olcott,  C.  A.  Gardiner,  Monroe 
and  Rice,  J.  C.  Roach,  in  "Dan  Darcy,"  C.  T.  Parsloe,  J. 
F.  Crossen,  Hanlon's  "Fantasma,"  Ada  Gray,  "Jim,  the 
Penman,"    the    Triple    Alliance,  Gilmore's   Band,  Sunday  af- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  249 

ternoon  and  evening  concert,  the  National  Opera  Company 
in  "Faust"  and  " Tannhauser,"  Lily  Clay  Company,  Ari- 
zona Joe,  Night  Owls,  Modjeska,  Re'illy  and  Wood,  T.  W. 
Keene,  the  Troubadors,  "  Fantasma,"  "Hearts  oi  Oak," 
Gorman's  Minstrels,  and  "  Le  Voyage  en  Suisse."  This 
was  the  last  of  Mr.  Low's  management,  the  closing  night  be- 
ing May  3d. 

The  Theatre  Comique  was  burned  on  the  night  of  Fri- 
day, Feb.  17,  1888.  The  Lily  Clay  company  was  perform- 
ing there  and  the  female  members  lost  very  heavily  of  their 
wardrobe,  although  the   jokers    insisted  that  it  wa  inty 

it  couldn't  have  cost  much.  The  company  appeared  before  a 
crowded  house  at  Low's  on  the  night  succeeding  the  fire. 
Many  other  attractions  booked  at  the  Comique,  filled  their 
time  at  Low's,  but  the  Clay  company  was  the  only  one  that 
did  well. 

Mr.  B.  F.  Keith  had  now  secured  the  lease  of  Low's  Grand 
Opera  House  for  a  term  of  years.  He  made  some  important 
alterations  in  it,  and  opened  May  14th  with  the  opera  oi 
"  Girofle-Girofla  "  and  a  strong  variety  company  in  addition. 
He  continued  the  season  until  the  middle  of  July,  present- 
ing  a  change  of  opera  each  week,  and  adding  such  strong 
specialty  artists  as  the  Vaidis  Sisters,  Smith  and  Lord,  the 
Bratz  Brothers,  the  Viennese  lady  fencers  and  the  Julians. 
The  houses  were  invariably  crowded. 

The  eighteenth    season   at   the    Providence  Opera  1  louse 
continued  for   about    thirty-eight  weeks.     It  was  one  of  the 
best  seasons  that  had  been    known    for  several  years,  but  it 
ought  to  have  been  still  better  with   the  excellent  attractions 
which  Manager  Morrow  presented.      Very  few  theatres  in  tin- 
country  have  offered  in  a  single  season  such  a   list    as  Rose 
Coghlan,    Frederic  Warde,   James  O'Neill,  Henry  E.  I  >i 
Duff's  Opera  Company,  the  Kellogg  Opera  Company,  .1   "  Pos- 
sible Case  "   Company,  "The  Wife"  Company,   "  Paul  Kau- 
var"    Company,    Lotta,    Harry     Lacy,    Cora    Tanner,    J 
Marlowe,  Joseph  Jefferson,  "Jim,  the  Penman,"  Clara    Moi 
ris,  Annie  Pixley,     "Yeomen  of  the  Guai  I,"    the  "Ruddy- 
gore"    Company,  Margaret    Mather,    Rosina    Vokcs,   N    C 
Goodwin,    Booth    and    B  Mitchell   and    Mrs. 

Langtry. 


25O  HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  preliminary  season  opened  August  10th,  with  Johnson 
and  Slavin's  Minstrels,  an  excellent  company,  which  did  a 
good  business  for  two  nights,  considering  the  extreme  heat. 
The  "  Two  Sisters  "  came  for  a  week,  beginning  August  27th. 
The  play  was  almost  new  at  that  time  and  was  very  crude. 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  with  the  great  cast,  began  a  week's 
engagement  September  3d.  The  company  died  here.  Stet- 
son's Opera  Company,  in  "  Ruddygore,"  had  good  business 
the  week  of  September  10th,  and  pleased  the  people.  "A 
Dark  Secret  "  played  the  week  of  September  17th  to  excel- 
lent business.  "A  Parlor  Match"  had  good  houses  Sep- 
tember 24th,  25th,  26th.  The  Howard  Specialty  Company 
filled  out  the  balance  of  the  week,  and,  although  it  was  the  best 
company  of  the  kind  that  ever  visited  Providence,  the  patron- 
age was  only  fair.  The  "Stowaway"  put  in  a  week,  begin- 
ning October  1st,  to  fair  business.  Rose  Coghlan,  in  her 
pretty  play  of  "Jocelyn,"  came  October  8th,  9th  and  10th, 
and  had  first-class  audiences  and  full  houses.  "  Shadows  of 
a  Great  City,"  October  11th,  12th  and  13th,  had  only  fair 
business.  Frederic  Warde  was  fairly  treated  October  1 5th, 
16th  and  17th.  James  O'Neill,  in  "Monte  Cristo,"  played 
to  good  houses  the  balance  of  that  week.  Henry  E.  Dixey 
played  for  a  week,  beginning  November  5th,  to  crowded 
houses  and  at  raised  prices.  "Siberia,"  for  the  week  of 
October  29th,  did  well,  notwithstanding  it  was  the  week  be- 
fore the  Presidential  election.  "A  Possible  Case"  did  well 
the  week  beginning  November  5th,  and  deserved  it.  Duff's 
Opera  Company,  not  of  as  good  material  as  in  its  former 
visits,  did  only  fairly  well  November  12th,  13th  and  14th. 
The  Kellogg  Opera  Company,  which  was  no  better,  followed 
November  15th,  16th  and  17th,  and  the  business  was  no 
better.  The  Lyceum  Theatre  Company,  in  "The  Wife," 
came  for  the  week  beginning  November  19th.  No  other 
company  has  pleased  the  people  better,  and  the  houses  were 
very  large,  especially  toward  the  end  of  the  week.  "  Paul 
Kauvar,"  the  following  week,  did  not  suffer.  December  3d, 
4th  and  5th  Thatcher,  Primrose  and  West  had  large  business. 
Lotta  followed  for  three  nights  to  good  business.  Cora  Tan- 
ner came  with  her  play  of  "Fascination,"  December  10th, 
nth  and  12th.  Dore  Davidson,  with  "Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr. 
Hvde,"  December  13th,  I4thand  15th,  gave  the  poorest  show 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  25  I 

of  the  season,  and  had  the. poorest   houses.     December  13th, 

Julia  Marlowe,  a  decidedly  pleasing  and  promising  young  star, 
began  a  week's  engagement,  and  although  it  was  the  week 
before  Christmas,  her  fame  attracted  good  audiences. 

Julia  Marlowe  was  born  in  Cumberland.  England,  and  was 
brought  to  America  when  only  six  years  of  age.  She  studied 
for  about  three  years  under  the  care  of  Miss  Ada  Dow,  a  former 
member  of  the  Providence  Opera  House  Stock  Company. 
She  played  soubrettes  in  a  travelling  company  for  about  one 
year.  She  is  now  (1891)  in  the  twentieth  year  of  her  age. 
and  it  is  predicted  that  she  has  a  great  future  before  her. 

Harry  Lacy,  with  his  "  Still  Alarm,"  played  for  the  week 
beginning  December  24th  to  some  of  the  largest  houses  ol 
the    season.     December  31st.   January   1st   and    2d,    Joseph 
Jefferson  looked  out  upon  crowded  houses.      "Jim,  the   Pen 
man,"  was  well  patronized  January  3d,  4th  and  5th,  and  the 
Hanlons,  with  their  "Fantasma,"  played  to  good  houses  for 
the  week  of  January  7th.      Clara  Morris  was  fairly  patronized 
January    14th,    15th  and  16th.      Dockstader's   Minstrels  had 
good  houses  January  17th,    18th  and   19th.     The   "  Paymas- 
ter" was  lightly  attended  the  week  of  January  21st.      Annie 
Pixley   had    her  usual  crowded  houses  for  the  week    begin- 
ning January  28th.     "The  Yeomen  of  the  Guard"  did  well 
for  a  week  beginning  February  4th,  and  the  "Twelve  Temp- 
tations,"   which    came    the  following   week,  also    had  good 
houses.     Margaret  Mather,  of   course,  did   a  large    busil 
the  week  of  February  18th.     Rosina  Vokes  also  proved  that 
she   was  a   favorite  'February    25th,    26th  and  27th.      X.    C. 
Goodwin  was  well  treated  February  28th,  March  ist  and 
The     "Corsair"    and    "Evangeline"     Company    had     - 
houses  the  week  of  March  4th.     "  Zozo  "  and  the   "St: 
of  New  York"  came  the  following  week,  and  both  had  light 
houses.     The  engagement  of  Booth  and  Barrett,  the  week  oi 
March  18th,  was  the  great  event  of   the  season.     'I 
ionable  people  turned  out  in  very  large    numbers  and 
houses   were    crowded.     The    Cleveland-Haverly   Minsti 
had  fair  patronage  March  25th,  26th   and   27th.     The   1. 
had  to  be  closed  the  following  three  nights  on  a< 
illness  of  W.  J.  Scanlan.     Rice's  "  Pearl  oi  Pekin  "  al 
good  houses  the  week  of  April  rst,  and  Maggie  Mitchell   had 
fair  audiences    the  following  week.      Dixe)    returned    April 


252         •  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

15th,  1 6th  and  17th,  and  had  good  houses,  despite  its  being 
Holy  Week.  Mrs.  Langtry  followed,  and  to  the  surprise  of 
most  people,  her  audiences  were  very  large,  that  of  the  sec- 
ond night  crowding  the  house.  Harry  Lee,  with  his  "  Chev- 
alier," did  wretched  business  the  week  of  April  22d. 
"Sweet  Lavender"  made  fair  profits  April  29th,  May  1st 
and  2d,  and  "  Le  Voyage  en  Suisse  "  also  did  well  the  bal- 
ance of  the  week.  Joseph  Murphy,  the  week  of  May  6th, 
had  fair  audiences,  and  Lydia  Thompson  had  poor  houses 
May  13th,  14th  and  15th. 

The  name  of  Low's  Grand  Opera  House  had  now  been 
changed  to  Keith's  Gaiety  Opera  House,  and  many  other 
changes  had  also  been  made  there.  Mr.  Keith  opened  his 
second  season  therewith  Corinne,  September  10th.  Crowded 
houses  every  night  greeted  the  little  lyric  star,  and  would 
have  continued  another  week,  probably,  if  the  engagement 
could  have  been  extended.  Mr.  Keith  made  a  rule  that 
every  attraction  should  play  one  week  at  his  house,  and  up 
to  the  present  time  it  has  never  been  broken.  The  attrac- 
tions which  played  there  this  season  were  as  follows :  Cor- 
inne, Neil  Burgess,  ''Kindergarten,"  "Monte  Cristo,"  Mrs. 
Rankin  in  the  "Golden  Giant,"  Dan  Mason,  in  "  Over  the 
Garden  Wall,"  Henry  Chanfrau,  "  Passion's  Slave,"  "  Ro- 
many Rye,"  George  C.  Boniface,  Jennie  Calef,  J.  B.  Polk, 
"We,  Us  &  Co.,"  the  "Rag  Pickers's  Daughter,"  "Soap 
Bubble,"  Fanny  Louise  Buckingham,  "  Mam'zelle,"  with  Alice 
Harrison,  "Beacon  Lights,"  "Wages  of  Sin,"  "My  Part- 
ner," the  Kimball  Opera  Company,  "  Hoodman  Blind,"  Ed- 
win F.  Mayo,  "  Nobody's  Claim,"  "  Zitha,"  Frank  I.  Frayne, 
C.  T.  Ellis,  N.  S.  Wood,  Redmund  and  Barry,  "True  Irish 
Hearts,"  "Lights  0'  London,"  "Hazel  Kirke,"  "Queen's 
Evidence,"  John  A.  Stevens  in  "  Unknown,"  "  One  of  the 
Finest,"  Oliver  Byron,  McKee  Rankin  in  the  "  Runaway 
Wife,"  "May  Blossom,"  with  Joseph  Wheelock  in  the  princi- 
pal role. 

Joseph  F.  Wheelock,  an  actor  of  the  highest  merit,  was 
born  about  1S38.  He  began  his  theatrical  career  at  the 
Boston  Museum  in  1855.  He  was  for  two  years  the  leading 
man  at  Booth's  Theatre,  New  York.  For  three  years  (1885 
to  1887)  he  played  the  leading  parts  to  Mrs.  D.  P.  Bowers  in 
her  star  engagements.  He  is  a  splendid  elocutionist,  a 
scholar  and  a  gentleman. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

1890-1891. 

"Little    Lord   Faunti.eroy"— Appearance   of   Booth    am.    Mod 
jeska— Sketch    of    Modjeska— Sketch    of    Tommaso    Sal  vim- 
Jefferson  and  Florence  combination— Sketch  of  Josepb   J]  i 
ferson— Sketch  of  William  J.   Florence— Season  of  1890-91— A 
good  year  at  both    houses— keith's    gaiety    opera    hi 
Brown  University  students  at  the  theatre. 

THERE  were  fifty-four  different  attractions  at  the  Prov- 
idence Opera  House  during  the  season  of  1889-90, 
and  most  of  them  were  very  good  ones.  Still,  the 
business  was  not  up  to  the  previous  year.  The  preliminary 
season  began  August  19th  and  20th,  with  Gorman's  Min- 
strels, who  had  fair  houses.  "Jim,  the  Penman,"  came 
September  5th,  6th  and  7th,  with  about  the  same  patron.. 
The  "Dark  Secret"  played  for  a  week  beginning  September 
9th,  to  very  poor  houses.  "A  Possible  Case,"  [6th,  17th, 
1 8th,  had  but  little  better  success  ;  "A  Hole  in  the  Ground," 
19th,  20th,  2 1  st,  about  the  same;  "Little  Lord  Fauntleroy," 
for  a  week  beginning  23d,  had  full  houses;  the  "Two  Sis- 
ters," September  30th,  October  1st  and  2d,  very  pooi  patron- 
age; Maggie  Mitchell,  October  3d,  4th,  5th,  but  little  better; 
October  7th,  for  one  week,  "The  Wife,"  to  good  houses; 
14th,  15th,  16th,  "Monte  Cristo,"  fair  business;  17th,  [8th, 
19th,  "Captain  Swift,"  about  the  same;  21st,  for  one  week, 
"Nadjy"  and  "Erminie,"  to  large  business ;  October  30th, 
31st,  November  1st  and  2i\,  E.  II.  Sothern  in  "  Lord  Chum- 
ley"  and  "Highest  Bidder,"  to  full  h  November  nth, 
for  one  week,  Annie  Pixley,  with  her  usual  success;  Novem- 
ber 18th  and  20th,  Salvini,  to  full  houses;  November  19th, 

the    Salvini    company,    with    young    Salvini,    to    very    ] 1 

house;  21st,  22d,  23d,   Primrose  and  West's  Minstrels,  full 
houses;  25th,  for  one  week,   Rose   Coghlan,   in    "Jocelyn," 


254  HISTORY     OF    THE 

"  Peg  Woffington,"  "  Forget-Me-Not,"  and  "  London  Assur- 
ance," to  good  business ;  December  2d,  one  week,  the 
"Exiles,"  very  small  audiences;  9th,  10th,  nth,  "Bells  of 
Haslemere,"  the  same;  12th,  13th,  14th,  "  Fantasrna,"  good 
business;  16th,  one  week,  Carleton  Opera  Company  in  the 
"Brigands"  and  "Nanon,"  light  business,  but  excellent  en- 
tertainments ;  23d,  one  week,  R.  B.  Mantell  in  "  Corsican 
Brothers,"  to  good  houses  ;  30th,  one  week,  Adam  Fore- 
paugh,  Jr.,  to  wretched  business ;  January  6th,  Booth  and 
Modjeska,  in  "  Shylock,"  "Hamlet,"  "Macbeth,"  "Riche- 
lieu," "Much  Ado  about  Nothing,"  "Fool's  Revenge,"  and 
"Donna  Diana,"  full  houses;  13th,  14th,  15th,  Duff  Opera 
Company  in  "  Paola,"  good  patronage  ;  16th,  17th,  18th,  Vic- 
toria Vokes,  very  poor  business  ;  20th,  one  week,  "  Little 
Lord  Fauntleroy,"  fair  business;  January  27th,  one  week, 
"Twelve  Temptations,"  to  fair  houses;  February  3d,  4th, 
5th,  Thomas  W.  Keene  in  "Richelieu,"  "Louis  XI."  and 
"Richard  III.,"  good  business;  6th,  7th,  8th,  Rosina  Vokes, 
the  same;  10th,  one  week,  "A  Still  Alarm,"  very  large  pat- 
ronage; 17th,  18th,  19th,  "The  Burglar,"  poor  houses ;  20th, 
21st,  22d,  W.  J.  Scanlan,  good  business;  24th,  one  week, 
"  Hands  Across  the  Sea,"  first  night  for  Elks'  benefit,  good 
houses  ;  March  3d,  "The  Great  Metropolis,"  the  same  ;  10th, 
11th,  12th,  Barry  and  Fay,  the  same;  13th,  14th,  15th,  "A 
Midnight  Bell,"  full  houses;  17th,  one  week,  "Kajanka," 
fair  business  ;  24th,  25th,  26th,  "  Brass  Monkey,"  full  nouses  ; 
27th,  28th,  29th,  "Corsair,"  fair  business;  31st,  one  week, 
Stetson's  "Gondoliers,"  to  fair  houses;  April  7th,  one  week, 
Margaret  Mather,  only  fair  houses;  14th,  15th,  16th,  Fanny 
Davenport,  large  patronage;  17th,  18th,  19th,  Jefferson  and 
Florence  in  the  "Rivals"  and  "Heir-at-Law,"  with  crowded 
houses  ;  23d,  Brown  University  Minstrels,  the  same  ;  24th, 
25th,  26th,  Joseph  Murphy,  the  same  ;  28th,  29th,  30th, 
Emma  Abbott  in  "  Ernani,"  "Trovatore,"  "Bohemian  Girl," 
and  "Rose  of  Castile,"  to  good  houses;  May  1st,  2d,  3d, 
Mary  Shaw,  in  "A  Drop  of  Poison;"  5th,  one  week,  Frank 
Mayo,  in  "  Nordeck  "  and  "Davy  Crockett,"  light  houses; 
15th,  16th,  17th,  Herrmann,  to  crowded  houses;  May  30th, 
"Hazel  Kirke,"  to  good  business. 

One    of   the  great   events   of  the  season  was  the  appear- 
ance of  Booth  and  Modjeska.     Mr.  Booth  was  then   in  ex- 


PROVIDEN<  I.    M  \«.l  . 


cellent  health  and  it  seemed  to  be  the   general  opinion    that 

he  never  appeared  to  better  advantage  in  this  city. 

Helena  Modjeska  (born  about  [843),  Polish  actress,  a  native 
of  Cracow,  married  her  guardian,  M.  Modjeska,  at  the  ago  of 
seventeen,  and,  in  1868,  three  years  alter  his  death,  married  a 
second  time — M.  Chlapowski,  a  Polish  patriot  and  journalist. 
Having  become  celebrated  as  a  player  in  amateur  theatrh 
she  began  to  practice  acting  as  a  profession  in  \SC>2,  starting 
with  a  travelling  company.  In  1868  she  appeared  before  a 
Warsaw  audience  in  a  version  of  "Adrienne  Lecouvreur," 
and  at  once  became  a  popular  favorite.  Driven  from  Poland 
by  professional  jealousy,  in  1876  she  emigrated  to  America 
with  her  husband,  and  tried  farming  in  California  without 
pecuniary  success.  She  accordingly  determined  to  return  to 
the  stage,  and,  having  learned  English,  appeared  as  Adrienne 
before  a  San  Francisco  audience  in  August,  1877.  Her  suc- 
cess was  immediate.  She  won  a  fine  reputation  as  an  emo- 
tional actress  and  then  went  abroad,  appearing  in  London 
and  other  cities.  Since  her  return  she  has  visited  nearly 
every  city  in  the  country  and  is  everywhere  recognized 
superior  artiste. 

Salvini's    appearance   was    also  quite  an  event  of  thi 
son.     Tommaso  Salvini  was  born  at  Milan,  Jan.   1,  [830.     His 
father  was  an  able  actor,  and   his  mother  a   popular  act: 
When  quite  a  boy  he  showed  a  rare  talent  for  acting,  and  before 
he  was  thirteen  years  old  he  had  already  wona  kindol  renown 
in  juvenile  characters.     At  fifteen  he  lost   both    his   parents, 
and  the  bereavement  so  preyed  upon  his  spirits  that   In-  was 
obliged  to  abandon  his  career  for  two  years.      When  he  again 
emerged  from  retirement  he  joined  the    Ristori   troupe,  and 
shared  with  that  great  actress  many  a  triumph.      In    [849  he- 
entered  the  army,  and  fought  valiantly,  receiving  in  reco 
tion  of  his  services  several  medals  of  honor.     He  went  upon 
the  stage  again  after  the  war,  and  soon  achieved  great  su<  ■ 
He  visited  America  in  1874,  again  in  1884-85,   and   again   in 

1889-90. 

Still  another  event  of  much  more  than  ordinary  importance 
was  the  appearance  of  the  Jefferson-Floren  >ination, 

which,  as  stated  above,  had  crowded  houses  at  largely  in- 
creased prices. 

Joseph  Jefferson  was  bom  in  Philadelphia,   I 


256  HISTORY    OF    THE 

He  is  descended  of  an  old  theatrical  family,  his  grandfather, 
Joseph  Jefferson,  comedian,  having  been  a  special  favorite  in 
Philadelphia  early  in  this  century.  Mr.  Jefferson's  father  was 
a  scenic  artist,  afterwards  a  manager,  and  then  an  actor.  The 
present  Mr.  Jefferson  very  early  entered  the  dramatic  profes- 
sion in  the  United  States,  and  earned  distinction  in  a  great 
variety  of  comic  parts,  ranging  from  Bob  Acres,  in  the  higher 
range  of  English  comedy,  to  Caleb  Plummer  in  the  domestic 
drama  of  more  recent  years.  When  only  three  years  old  he  ap- 
peared on  the  stage  as  Rolla's  child.  He  had  a  pretty  hard 
struggle  up  to  1849,  when  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
John  Ellsler  and  took  a  company  over  the  southern  circuit. 
From  1852  to  1856  he  was  in  Baltimore;  then  he  went  to 
Laura  Keene's  Theatre  in  New  York,  playing  several  charac- 
ters very  acceptably,  but  his  first  great  hit  was  in  "  Our  Ameri- 
can Cousin,"  in  which  he  enacted  the  part  of  Asa  Trenchard. 
In  i860  he  first  began  playing  his  inimitable  impersonation  of 
Rip  Van  Winkle,  from  a  play  founded  on  Washington  Irving's 
story  by  Charles  Burke.  During  the  civil  war  he  went  to 
Australia  and  returned  home  by  the  way  of  England,  playing 
the  part  of  Rip  in  London  in  1865,  achieving  a  triumphant 
success.  He  has  visited  England  once  or  twice  since,  winning 
additional  fame  each  time.  For  the  past  two  or  three  years 
Mr.  Jefferson  has  united  with  Mr.  Win,  J.  Florence,  and  the 
Jefferson-Florence  combination  has  been  one  of  the  very  best 
paying  attractions  in  the  country. 

William  J.  Florence  was  born  in  Albany  July  26,  1831.  His 
father  died  in  1846,  and  William  being  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  eight  children,  was  called  upon  for  unusual  exertion.  He 
first  tried  newspaper  work,  and  then  a  New  York  counting- 
house,  but  having  a  taste  for  theatricals,  and  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Murdock  Dramatic  Association  of  that  city,  drifted 
upon  the  stage  and  began  his  theatrical  experience  at  the  Rich- 
mond Theatre  in  1849.  December  6th  of  the  same  year  he 
made  his  New  York  debut.  The  next  year  he  was  in  Provi- 
dence and  played  Macduff  here  to  the  Macbeth  of  Booth.  Soon 
afterwards  he  took  to  Irish  characters  at  Brougham's  Theatre, 
New  York,  and  perfected  himself  as  a  dialect  actor.  On  New 
Year's  day,  1853,  he  married  Mrs.  Littell,  a  danseuse,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Pray,  and  who  is  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Barney 
Williams.     Williams  and  his  wife  were  now  in  the  height  of 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  257 

their  success  as  Irish  boy  and  Yankee  girl  delineators,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Florence,  believing  the  world  was  wide  enough 
for  another  "team"  of  that  kind,  decided  to  adopt  the  same 
line,  an  experiment  which  proved  eminently  successful,  but 
the  rivalry  was  sharp  and  not  always  good-natured.  They 
began  their  starring  tour  on  the  13th  of  June,  1853.-  In  1S56, 
they  went  to  England,  where  more  success  awaited  them. 
Florence  was  the  first  to  bring  out  the  "  Ticket  of  Leave  Man  " 
in  this  country,  and  has  played  the  part  of  Robert  Brierly  many 
hundred  times.  That  and  Captain  Cuttle  were  his  favorite 
characters  for  many  years.  His  Hon.  Bardwell Slote  in  "  The 
Mighty  Dollar,"  is  remembered  with  much  pleasure  by  Provi- 
dence theatre-goers 

Keith's  Gaiety  Opera  House  had  forty  different  attractions 
for  the  season  of   1889-90,  each  one  remaining  one  week,  ex- 
cept the  last,  Alexander    Salvini,    who   remained  two  weeks. 
Twenty-three  of  these  attractions  had    crowded  houses,  and 
all  of  the  others  had  very  large  audiences.     The  season  began 
September  9th  and  ended  June  28th.     The  list  of  attractions 
was  as  follows  :    Corinne    in  "Arcadia;"    "  Held  by  the  En- 
emy;"  N.  S.  Wood;  "Shadows  of  a  Great  City;"   Charles 
Erin  Vernerin  "  Shamus  O'Brien  ;"  the  Vaidis  Sisters  Com- 
pany;  the  "  Blue  and  Gray ;"   "In   the  Ranks;"    "Tourists 
in  a  Pullman  Palace  Car;"  "  Equine  Paradox  ;  "   "<  me  oi  the 
Bravest ;"  John    A.    Stevens;     "Bandit    King;"    Rich    and 
Harris  Specialty   Company;   Mason  Mitchell  in   "  1.      Fugi- 
tive;" "A    Royal  Pass;"  Daniel  Sully;   Hallen   and    Hart, 
in   "Later  On;"    "A  Legal  Wreck  ;  "    "  Under  the  Lash  ;  " 
"Nobody's   Claim;"     "Harbor   Lights;"     "After    Dark;" 
"  Passion's  Slave  ;  "   Daniel    Sully  again,  Richard    Golden    in 
"  Old  Jed  Prouty  ;  "  Nelson's  "  World  Combination  ; 
con  Lights;"     "Lights    and    Shadows;"    J.    11.   Wallick  in 
"Sam    Houston;"    the  "White    Slave;"    "Lost    in    N 
York;"   "  Spicier  and  Fly  ;  "    "Daniel   Boone;' 
kit-;"  Vernona Jarbeau in  "Starlight  ;"  Boston Theal 
pany  in  "Mankind;"   "She;"  A.  Salvini  in  "Child 
pies,"  and  "Three  Guardsmen." 

Most  of  these  stars  had  been  seen  at  higherpriced  1 
in  the  city,  and  were  quitefamili  irto  the  general theati 
There   is,  therefore,    barely   any    other   way  to   explain 
crowded  houses  they  received  than  by  the  supposition  that  the 

17 


258  HISTORY  OF  THE 

ranks  of  patrons  were  largely  increased   from   the  class  who 
had  hitherto  felt  that  they  could  not  go  to  the  theatre. 

The  season  of  1890-91  began  very  encouragingly  at  the 
Providence  Opera  House,  with  Gillette's  entertaining  play, 
"All  the  Comforts  of  Home."  The  "  Brass  Monkey"  fol- 
lowed to  excellent  houses,  and  then  came  "  Mr.  Barnes,  of 
New  York,"  to  crowded  houses,  which  was  a  surprise  to 
everybody.  "Raglan's  Way,"  with  Edwin  Arden  as  the 
star,  had  beggarly  houses,  although  it  pleased  all  who  saw  it. 
"A  Straight  Tip,"  with  J.  T.  Powers,  brought  back  good 
houses  again.  Maggie  Mitchell  had  a  week  of  fair  business. 
"Aunt  Jack"  was  witnessed  by  large  audiences.  Herrmann 
attracted  full  houses,  but  Lotta,  who  followed,  failed  to  draw 
with  "Ina"  and  "Musette."  The  Casino  Company,  in 
"Mme.  Angot,"  did  not  draw  well.  George  Thatcher's  min- 
strels met  with  great  financial  success.  "Shenandoah  "  had 
crowded  houses  for  one  week.  John  L.  Sullivan  made  his 
first  appearance  here  as  an  actor,  and  was  greeted  by  full 
houses.  "  Hands  Across  the  Sea"  played  to  good  business. 
Evans  and  Hoey,  in  "A  Parlor  Match,"  had  crowded  houses. 
Margaret  Mather  succeeded  almost  as  well  as  usual.  Mile. 
Rhea,  in  "Josephine,"  was  both  a  financial  and  artistic  suc- 
cess. Cleveland's  Consolidated  Minstrels  were  liberally 
patronized.  The  Howard  Specialty  Company,  Hanlon's 
"Superba"  and  "  Money  Mad,"  all  suffered  by  light  houses. 
Messrs.  Booth  and  Barrett,  for  one  week  beginning  Decem- 
ber 15th,  had  large  houses  and  delighted  audiences.  "A 
Dark  Secret "  had  light  attendance,  but  "A  Trip  to  China- 
town "  had  much  better  success.  Then  came  Annie  Ward 
Tiffany,  in  the  "Step  Daughter,"  which  was  financially  a  fail- 
ure. "  Mr.  Barnes,  of  New  York  "  returned,  and  again  at- 
tracted full  houses.  Pauline  Hall,  in  "Erminie"  and  "Amo- 
rita,"  took  away  large  profits.  The  "  Soudan  "  had  crowded 
houses  for  one  week.  "  Mr.  Potter  of  Texas  "  came  to  see  if 
"Mr.  Barnes,  of  New  York"  had  takenawaya.il  the  money 
here,  but  found  that  there  was  an  abundance  left.  Dixey,  in 
"Adonis  "  and  the  "  Seven  Ages  "  played  to  crowded  houses  for 
one  week.  "Yon  Yons'on"  was  greeted  with  good  houses  for 
three  nights.  "A  Midnight  Bell  "  played  to  crowded  houses 
for  three  nights,  the  first  being  for  the  benefit  of  the  The- 
atrical   Mechanics.    Barry  and  Fay,  without  Fay  (who  was 


PROYIDENCE    STAGE. 

ill)  had  fair  audiences.  The  "  Twelve  Temptations  "  had  poor 
houses.  Russell's  "City  Directory"  had  large  audieno 
but  the  "Pearl  of  Pekin,"  which  followed,  was  not  a  suco 
Cleveland's  Minstrels  did  a  Large  business,  and  "The  Charity 
Ball  "  had  to  put  out  the  "  standing  room  "  sign.  The  "  Still 
Alarm"  was  not  so  well  patronized  as  in  former  years. 
"  Ship  Ahoy,"  even  though  it  came  in  Holy  Week,  met  with 
good  success.  Annie  Pixley  played  <>ne  week  to  good  hous 
One  night  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  Elks.  Primrose  and 
West's  Minstrels  had  fine  business.  Agnes  Huntington,  in 
"Paul  Jones,"  delighted  full  houses.  The  "  Clemenceau 
Case"  had  a  full  house  the  opening  night  of  its  week's  en- 
gagement, but  hardly  a  corporal's  guard  after  that.  "  Poor 
Jonathan,"  by  the  Casino  Company,  was  liberally  patronized. 
The  "  Prince  and  Pauper,"  with  Elsie  Leslie,  did  fairly.  E. 
H.  Sothern,  in  "  The  Maister  of  Woodbarrow,"  had  crowded 
houses.  The  Talma  Club  occupied  the  house  for  one  night, 
and  presented  "  She  Stoops  to  Conquer"  to  a  good  hoi 
The  Brown  University  Minstrels  had  three  large  nights.  A 
week  of  opera  carnival,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Rhode  Island 
Homoeopathic  Hospital,  was  only  fairly  patronized.  Stetson's 
"Hornet's  Nest"  did  poor  business,  and  a  "  Fair  Rebel,"  for 
the  benefit  of  some  military  companies,  did  not  meet  with 
success. 

The  season  at    Keith's    Gaiety   Opera    House    continued 
thirty-nine  weeks.       It   opened   September    15th    with   "  M) 
Jack,"  which,  notwithstanding  the  hot  weather,  had  crowded 
houses.      September   22d,    Donnelly   and    Guard    came    with 
"  Natural  Gas,"  and  had  equally  good   success.     The  bright 
soubrette  of  the  company,  Katie  Hart,  died  suddenly  in  New 
York  afew  weeks  later.     September  29th,  the  Vaidis  Sisters 
putinaweekof  large  business,  although  not  as  crowded  as 
their   predecessors.     Henshaw    and   Ten    Broeck,   with    the 
"Nabobs,"  had  the  week  of  October  6th,  with  huge  hous 
The  "Bottom  of  the  Sea,"  October   [3th,  the   "Spider  and 
the  Fly,"  October  20th,  and  the  "  Blue  and  the  I 
ber  27th,  had  only  fair  business  comparatively.     Kal     • 
ton,  with  the  oft-repeated  plaj    ol   th<    "Two   Orphans," 
crowded  houses  the  week  oi   Novembei  B 

in  the  "  Irish  Arab,"  Novembei  nd  "  Woi 

Woman,"  November  17th.  had  only  I  ■  «ne 


260  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

Hallen  and  Hart,  with  "  Later  On,"  to  such  tremendous  busi- 
ness that  an  extra  matinee  was  given  the  day  following 
Thanksgiving,  and  even  that  was  crowded  to  the  doors. 
Hardie-Von  Leer  came  December  ist,  to  fair  houses;  Wills 
and  Jerome,  in  "Two  Old  Cronies,"  December  8th,  to  the 
same  ;  "Inshavogue,"  December  15th,  about  as  good;  Decem- 
ber 22d,  "Limited  Mail"  had  fine  houses;  December  29th, 
Katie  Emmett  in  "Waifs  of  New  York,"  to  large  houses  ;  the 
"Great  Metropolis,"  January  5th,  and  "One  of  the  Bravest," 
January  12th,  met  with  the  same  success.  Charles  Erin 
Verner,  in  "  Shamus  O'Brien,"  had  only  fair  houses  the  week 
of  January  19th,  but  Monroe  and  Rice  the  following  week,  in 
"  My  Aunt  Bridget,"  looked  upon  packed  houses.  February 
2d,  "Paul  Kauvar"  was  played  to  a  good  business.  Henry 
Aveling,  the  leading  man,  committed  suicide  a  few  weeks 
later  at  the  Sturtevant  House  in  New  York.  "  After  Dark," 
February  9th,  attracted  large  houses,  and  so  did  "  Master 
and  Man,"  February  16th.  "The  Fakir,"  with  Mark  Sulli- 
van, had  successful  business,  and  so  did  Ullie  Akerstrom, 
March  2d.  "  Lost  in  New  York  "  was  welcomed  by  crowded 
houses  the  week  of  March  9th,  and  it  was  difficult  to  find 
even  standing  room  the  week  following,  when  "  Old  Jed 
Prouty "  occupied  the  stage.  "The  Hustler,"  with  Dan 
Mason,  John  Kernell,  and  other  popular  people  in  the  cast, 
also  had  crowded  houses  the  week  of  March  23d.  Fair  busi- 
ness greeted  Reill-y  and  Wood's  great  show  week  of  March 
30th.  "  Siberia,"  April  6th  ;  Frank  Daniels  in  "  Little  Puck," 
April  13th  ;  "Jim,  the  Penman,"  April  20th  ;  J.  H.  Wallick, 
April  27th  ;  Nellie  McHenry,  May  4th  ;  McKee  Rankin  in  the 
"Kanuck,"  May  nth ;  Minnie  Oscar  Gray,  May  18th  ;  "  The 
Burglar,"  May  25th  ;  "The  World,"  June  ist  ;  and  Edwin 
Arden,  in  "  The  Eagle's  Nest,"  June  8th,  completed  the 
list.  The  house  was  managed  in  a  commendable  manner  by 
Mr.  P.  F.  Connell,  Mr.  Keith's  local  representative. 

On  one  of  the  evenings  of  the  Hallen  and  Hart  engage- 
ment,  a  large  number  of  Brown  University  students  attended, 
and  applauded  the  young  ladies  in  the  company  enthusiasti- 
cally. They  also  frequently  interrupted  the  performance 
with  a  round  or  two  of  their  peculiar  cheers,  but  everything 
passed  off  pleasantly,  and  everybody  enjoyed  the  additional 
entertainment  which  the  college  boys  furnished. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Reminiscences  of  the  Providence  Opkba  House— Leading  members 
of  the  first  stock  company— Messrs.  Burroughs,  Tilton,  Bascomb, 
Sheldon,  Rainsfohd  and  Donaldson,  and  Misses  Cameron,  Monk, 
Harris,  etc.— Terms   of  Mr.  Henderson-  Lease— Casts  of   rwo 

SUCCESSFUL  PLAYS. 

THE  great  interest  manifested  in  theatrical  matters  just 
preceding  the  opening  of  the  Providence  Opera  II 
and  during  its  first  season,  has  never  been  so  promi- 
nent since,  and  probably  never  will  be  in  Providence  again. 
unless  the  conditions  should  be  similar.  For  many  years  the 
city  had  been  without  a  good  theatre,  and  it  had  never  had 
one  so  thoroughly  equipped  in  every  particular  as  the  Provi- 
dence Opera  House  was.  Then,  too,  there  had  been  no  stock 
company  here  for  several  years.  Travelling  companies  came 
and  went,  as  they  do  now,  but  the  fact  of  having  the  pla) 
residents  of  the  city,  and  meeting  them  almost  daily,  made  it 
very  interesting  to  hundreds  of  people.  Night  after  night 
until  the  season  was  far  advanced,  the  theatre  was  crowded, 
and  at  the  matinees  late  comers  were  indeed  fortunate  il  they 
could  obtain  entrance.  At  the  Athenaeum,  it  was  said,  there 
was  an  immense  falling  off  in  the  Saturday  afternoon  appli- 
cants for  books  that  season,  and  the  librarian  attributed  it  to 
the  fact  that  the  young  ladies  had  become  so  enthusiastic  over 
the  theatre  performances  that  they  had  lost  their  interest  in 
books  apparently. 

The  members  of  Mr.  I  [enderson's  firsl  c<  >mpany  were 

ladies  and  gentlemen  who  generally  conducted  themselves  in 
a  praiseworthy  manner,  and  made  many  w  irm  friends      M 
Isadore    Cameron,    the   leading    lady,    was    rathei    r< 
especially  among  strangers,  but  in  the  few  families  she  visited 
during  her  residence  here,  she  wa  welcome.      She  was 

tall  and  stately,  not  handsome,  but  so  pleasing  in  her  manner, 


262  HISTORY     OF    THE 

and  withal  so  capable  an  artist,  that  she  was  exceedingly 
popular  with  the  patrons  of  the  house.  This  was  particularly 
shown  by  the  following  incident.  Mrs.  Henderson,  wife  of 
the  manager,  played  a  star  engagement  about  the  middle  of 
the  season,  and  some  busybody  circulated  a  report  that  Miss 
Cameron  was  to  be  dismissed  and  Mrs.  Henderson  was  to 
take  her  place  in  the  company.  Much  dissatisfaction  was  ex- 
pressed, not  because  Mrs.  Henderson  was  disliked,  but  be- 
cause the  patrons  were  so  pleased  with  Miss  Cameron  that 
they  did  not  want  her  to  go,  and  especially  to  have  her  forced 
out  of  a  position.  On  the  first  night  that  Miss  Cameron  re- 
appeared, she  had  a  most  enthuiastic  reception,  and  the  stage 
was  almost  literally  covered  with  the  flowers  which  were  either 
thrown  to  her  by  the  audience,  or  handed  up  by  the  leader  of 
the  orchestra. 

Miss  Cameron,  although  a  resident  of  New  York,  was  that 
season  engaged  in  Chicago,  but  the  great  Chicago  fire  de- 
stroyed the  theatre  where  she  was  playing,  and  so  Mr.  Hender- 
son was  able  to  secure  her  services.  She  was  married  to  Mr. 
James  F.  Fuller,  of  New  York,  a  few  months  after  she  came 
here,  became  the  mother  of  two  or  three  children,  and  died 
five  or  six  years  ago.  Her  sister,  Victoria,  also  joined  the 
company  before  the  season  finished. 

Miss  Ada  Monk,  the  soubrette,  was  a  general  favorite  both 
on  and  off  the  stage,  and  was  received  in  some  of  the  best 
families  of  the  city.  She  was  engaged  before  the  end  of  the 
first  season  to  be  married  to  a  wealthy  and  highly  respected 
citizen,  but  the  engagement  was  broken  off  at  the  last  moment. 
She  subsequently  married  a  widower  to  whom  she  had  been 
engaged  some  years  before.  She  was  considered  a  handsome 
woman,  and  was  certainly  a  very  pleasant  lady  and  a  good 
artiste.  For  several  years,  now,  she  has  been  an  invalid  at 
her  home  in  New  York  city,  a  martyr  to  rheumatism.  For 
many  months  she  was  in  the  hospital,  but  did  not  find  much 
relief  there.  After  she  left  Providence  she  travelled  for  a 
season  or  two  with  C.  H.  Furbish's  "  Led  Astray  "  Company, 
then  joined  the  "Strategists"  Company,  and  finally  became 
a  member  of  Fanny  Davenport's  Company,  in  which  she  met 
with  much  success  during  the  long  run  of  "Fedora"  at  the 
Fourteenth  Street  Theatre  in  New  York,  and  also  in  several 
other  cities.     That  was  the  last  of  her  professional  career. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

Nellie  Morant  Bowen  was  a  sister  of  the  popular  acl 
Fanny  Morant.     She  was  fairly  good  as  an  actress,  but  much 
more  talented  as  a  vocalist. 

Anita  Harris,  another   member  of   this  company,  was  and 
still  is,  a  resident  of  Providence.     She  became  a  favorite  s 
after  the  season  opened  by  her  excellent  personation  of  the 
blind  girl  in  "  Dot,  or,  the  Cricket  on  the  Hearth." 

Isabella  Preston,  the  "  old  lady  "  of  the  company,  won 
opinions  from  all  of  the  patrons  of  the  house,  because  she 
thoroughly  competent  for  any  part   which  was  given   to  her. 
She  is  still  on  the  stage. 

Mr.  E.  L.  Tilton,  the  stage  manager,  was  an  experienced 
actor,  having  supported  all  of  the  great  stars  of  his  time.  He 
was  also  congenial  and  made  hosts  of  friends,  who  were 
always  glad  to  see  him  in  his  subsequent  visits  to  Provi- 
dence. His  last  appearance  here  was  with  Louis  Jam 
Company,  in  December,  1886.  He  died  a  few  months  after- 
wards in  Birmingham,  Ala.  He  was  born  in  Framingham, 
Mass.,  in  1824,  and  had  been  on  the  stage  since  he  was  twenty 
years  old. 

William  F.  Burroughs,  the  leading  man,  was  an  excellent 
reader,  and  in  a  majority  of  the  many  characters  in  which  he- 
appeared  that  first  season  was  very  successful.  His  Eliot 
Gray  in  "  Rosedale  "  was  quite  as  good,  the  public  thought,  as 
that  of  Mr.  Lester  Wallack's  ;  and  his  Badger  in  ' 
of  New  York,"  could  not  be  excelled.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Anita  Harris  while  here,  but  she  has  since  obtained  a 
divorce  from  him. 

William  P.  Sheldon,  the  comedian,  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  of  the  entire  company,  as  was  shown  by  the  over- 
crowded house  at  his  benefit  near  the  end  of  the  season.  I  le 
remained  two  or  three  seasons,  and  was  a  favorite  with  many 
to  the  end. 

H.  L.  Bascomb  was  a  good  general  actor,  and,  until  h 
came  dissipated,  was  a  general  favorite.     He  "dressed"  his 
parts  with  excellent  taste,  and  in  gentlemanly  rdics  he 
thoroughly  at  home.     (  >ne  of  hi-  failings  was  his  inabilil 
take  flattery  for  what  it  was  worth.     To  ,   m  iny  and 

too  much    flattery  led   him   into  dissipation  and   bro 
his  many  eccentricities.     At  one  time  h< 


264  HISTORY    OF    THE 

sane  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  would  pray  loud  and  fer- 
vently in  the  most  unseemly  places.  One  evening  in  partic- 
ular, he  went  direct  from  one  of  his  scenes  on  the  stage  to 
the  green-room,  and  falling  on  his  knees  made  an  earnest 
prayer  for  forgiveness  for  himself  and  those  around  him. 

A  few  years  after  he  left  Providence  he  undertook,  one 
bitter  cold  night,  to  walk  from  New  York  to  Hartford,  and 
his  legs  and  feet  were  so  badly  frozen  that  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  amputate  them.  He  is  now  in  the  Forrest  Home 
for  Invalid  Actors  at  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Milton  Rainsford  and  W.  H.  Donaldson  were  the  "  old 
men  "  of  the  company.  The  former  was  a  very  conscientious 
actor  and  worked  very  hard  to  please  the  people,  with  a  good 
measure  of  success.  He  passed  most  of  his  time  at  home, 
when  not  engaged  at  the  theatre,  and  met  very  few  people  ; 
still  he  was  very  companionable  with  those  whom  he  liked. 
He  was  in  the  same  Chicago  theatre  that  Miss  Cameron  was 
at  the  beginning  of  that  season,  and  the  great  fire  also  enabled 
Mr.  Henderson  to  obtain  his  services. 

Mr.  Donaldson  was  also  a  good  actor  and  a  man  of  much 
intelligence.  His  health  was  not  by  any  means  perfect,  and 
he  was  therefore  not  seen  much  outside  of  the  theatre. 

One  member  of  the  company,  whose  name  I  will  not 
mention,  made  such  a  ridiculous  figure  upon  the  stage, 
that  he  was  laughed  at  almost  every  time  he  appeared.  Some 
of  the  leading  stockholders  were  very  much  displeased  with 
him  and  they  asked  Mr.  Henderson  to  dismiss  him.  The 
latter  said  he  had  engaged  him  by  contract  for  the  full  sea- 
son and  that  he  could  not  afford  to  let  him  go.  Thereupon 
one  of  the  stockholders  offered  to  pay  the  salary,  and  I  be- 
lieve he  did  pay  it,  upon  condition  that  the  man  should  not 
appear  upon  the  Opera  House  stage  again  during  the  sea- 
son. Mr.  Henderson  did  not  dismiss  him  altogether,  but 
employed  him  to  do  something  else  besides  acting.  The 
gentleman  has  since  become  a  good  actor,  and  has  held  many 
important  positions  in  first-class  theatres. 

Mr.  Henderson  appeared  here  only  once  as  an  actor.  Upon 
that  occasion  he  took  a  benefit  and  personated  Ingomar  to 
the  Parthenia  of  Mrs.  Henderson. 

Mr.  Henderson  leased  the  Opera  House  building  for  ten 
years.     He    was    to    pay    seven    per  cent,  interest  upon  the 


PROVIDENCE  STAG]  . 

mortgage  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  the  taxes  and  in- 
surance, and  eight  per  cent,  upon  the  capital  invested  forthe 
first  five  years.  The  second  five  years  the  terms  were  to  be 
the  same  with  the  exception  that  Mr.  Henderson  was  to  \  'ax- 
ten  per  cent,  on  the  capital.  This  made  a  very  good  tl 
for  the  stockholders,  and  was  at  first  also  good  forthe  lessee. 
His  rent  amounted  to  about  $17,500,  and  he  received  hack 
for  the  rent  of  the  stores  in  the  building  about  $3,000. 
When  Mr.  Henderson  took  the  lease  the  Spragues  were  in 
the  full  tide  of  success,  and  all  kinds  of  business  in  Provi 
dence  was  generally  prosperous.  After  the  Sprague  failure, 
which  took  place  a  year  or  two  succeeding  the  opening  of 
the  Opera  House,  there  was  a  remarkable  change  for  the 
worse,  and  theatrical  business  suffered  materially. 

Mr.  Henderson  was  strictly  an  honest  man,  but  his  business 
methods  might  have  been  improved.  Although  generally 
considered  very  shrewd,  he  was  often  very  careless,  and  thi 
who  ought  to  know,  have  often  said  that  he  trusted  some  oi 
his  employes  far  too  much,  and  was  so  careless  about  retain- 
ing receipts,  etc.,  that  he  frequently  paid  bills  at  least  twice. 
Some  of  his  intimate  friends  would  often  call  his  attention 
to  the  fact  that  certain  of  his  employes  were  living  in  a  n 
extravagant  manner.  He  would  cordially  thank  the  in- 
former, intimate  that  he  had  already  become  satisfied  that  it 
was  the  truth,  promise  to  look  into  it  at  once,  and  there  t he- 
matter  ended.  When  he  began  to  lose  money,  he  also  began 
to  cheapen  his  companies,  and  economize  in  the  wrong  pi; 
This  led  to  great  dissatisfaction  among  the  stockholders  as 
well  as  to  the  public,  and  finally  he  became  anxious  to  give 
up  his  lease. 

Mr.  F.  S.  Brownell  proposed  to  him  that  if  he  would  give 
up  his  stock  in  the  Opera  House,  which  then  amounted  to 
$12,000,  the  other  stockholders  would  doubtless  release  him  ; 
he  readily  accepted  the  proposition,  and  the  stockholders  did 
as  agreed  upon. 

Mr.    Henderson   went    to   New    York,  took   a   lease  ol  the 
Standard  Theatre,  which  he  managed  foi    several   \< 
for  two  or  three  years    before    his   death,  he  was  man 
the  Academy  of  Music  in  Jersey  City. 

When  Mr.  Henderson  left, th  holderstook  the  house 

incharsre  and  leased  it  to  travelling  combinations      I'       said 


266 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


that  their  profits  in  this  venture  amounted  to  $14,000  the 
first  year.  Finally,  Mr.  George  Hackett  took  the  lease,  and 
during  the  five  years  that  he  was  the  manager  the  public 
saw  many  queer  "shows,"  and  the  stockholders  realized  very 
little  on  their  property.  The  last  year,  it  is  said,  he  did  not 
pay  one  cent  for  rent,  and  the  house  was  permitted  to  run 
down  so  much  that  when  Mr.  Morrow  succeeded  him,  in 
1885,  about  nine  thousand  dollars  had  to  be  spent  in  making 
the  necessary  repairs.  The  stockholders  have  received  no 
dividends  since  1882,  but  there  is  a  good  prospect  that  one 
will  soon  be  paid. 

Going  back  to  Mr.  Henderson's  management,  it  is  quite 
certain  that  the  most  popular  play  ever  produced  by  any  of 
his  stock  companies  was  "  Rosedale,"  which  was  first  brought 
out  on  the  evening  of  Jan.  8,  1872,  and  had  a  run  of  three 
consecutive  weeks,  and  was  put  on  again  later  in  the  season. 
The  cast  of  characters  was  as  follows  : 


Elliot  Grey, 
Matthew  Leigh, 
Col.  Cavendish  May, 
Bunberry  Kobb, 
Sir  Arthur  May, 
Siles  McKenna, 
Farmer  Greene, 
Corporal  Daw, 
Romany  Rob, 
Docrey,     . 
Robert, 
Florence  May, 
Rosa  Leigh, 
Lady  Adela  Gray, 
Tabitha  Stark, 
Sarah  Sikes, 
Primrose, 
Mother  Mix, 


W.  F.  Burroughs. 
H.  L.  Bascomb. 
W.  A.  Donaldson. 
W.  P.  Sheldon. 
La  Petite    Hattie. 
E.  L.  Tilton. 
Mr.  Pierson. 
J.  M.  Allison. 
\V.  C.  Raymond. 
W.  H    Partello. 
S.  Phileo. 

Miss  Isadore  Cameron. 
Miss  Ada  Monk. 
Miss  Minnie  Doyle. 
Miss  Isabella  Preston. 
Miss  Anita  Harris. 
Miss  Nellie  Mabel. 
Miss  Naomie. 


The  next  play,  in  point  of  interest,  presented  by  any  of 
Mr.  Henderson's  companies,  was  the  "Two  Orphans,"  first 
produced    on    Feb.    8,    1875.     Mr.    Henderson    spent    more 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 


267 


money  upon  this  play  than  upon  any  other  during  his  man- 
agement, and  it  was  generally  conceded  that  the  production 
was  fully  as  enjoyable  here  as  the  original  at  the  Union 
Square  Theatre  in  New  York.  The  cast  of  characters  was 
as  follows  : 


Chevalier  Maurice  de  Vaudrey, 

Count  de  Linieres 

Picard, 

Jacques  Frochard, 

Pierre  Frochard, 

Marquis  de  Presles, 

Lafleur,     . 

Doctor, 

Martin,      . 

Officer  of  the  Guard, 

Qhief  Clerk   in  the  Ministry  of 

Police, 
De  Mailly, 
D'Estrees, 
Antoine, 
Footman, 
Countess  Diane  de  Linieres, 

tT       .  '  The  Two  Orphans, 

Hennette,  \  l 

Marianne,  an  outcast, 

La  Frochard,     . 

Sister  Genevieve, 

Julie, 

Florette, 

Cora, 

Sister  Therese, 


W.  F.  Burrouj 

H.  B.  Norman. 
Sid  Smith. 
W.  Treville. 
J.  C.  Padgett. 
F.  (i.   Potter. 
Harry  Harwood. 
Mr.  Raymond. 
Mr.  Williams. 
Mr.  Edwards. 

Mr.  Sutton. 
Mr.  Morrison. 
Mr.  Jones. 
Mr.  Deering. 
Mr.  Thompson. 
Miss  Lillie  Wilkinson. 
\  Miss  Lizzie  Mahon. 
/  Miss  Emmie  Wilmot. 
Miss  Belle  Bailey. 
Miss  C.  A.  Pennoyer. 
Miss  II.  Willis. 
Miss  Carrie  Leclaire, 
Miss  I  List  in 
Miss  Waterman. 
Miss  Browning. 


This  play  ran  fur  two  weeks  at  first  and  was  frequently 
revived  later  in  the  season. 

Of  the  above-named,  Mr.  Burroughs  is  occasionally  heard 
of  in  and  about  New  York;  Messrs.  Norman  and  Smith 
have  both  passed  away;  Mr.  Treville's  whereabouts  are  un- 
known; Mr.  Padgett  is  a  member  of  W.  11.  Crane's  com- 
pany; Mr.  Potter   has   for   some   years   been   a   manager^ol 


268  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

prominent  stars  ;  Mr.  Harvvood  has  become  a  very  popular 
character  actor;  Miss  Lillie  Wilkinson  is  in  Worcester,  and 
not  long  ago  managed  a  theatre  there  ;  Miss  Emmie  Wilmot 
is  said  to  be  teaching  elocution  in  California  ;  Miss  Lizzie 
Mahon  has  been  here  within  a  few  years  as  leading  lady  of 
Crossen's  "Banker's  Daughter"  Company,  and  Mrs.  M.  A. 
Pennoyer  is  still  upon  the  stage,  playing  good  roles  with  her 
accustomed  success. 

Of  the  twenty-eight  original  stockholders  of  the  Providence 
Opera  House  Association,  sixteen  have  passed  away  up  to  the 
date  of  this  writing,  Aug.  10,  1891.  Their  names  are  as 
follows :  Henry  Lippitt,  William  Henderson,  William  S. 
Slater,  Earl  P.  Mason,  Henry  Fairbrother,  Henry  J.  Steere, 
John  Carter  Brown,  Amos  Beckwith,  James  Eddy,  Martin  C. 
Stokes,  Alfred  Anthony,  William  Butler,  John  T.  Mauran, 
Alfred  Read,  B.  F.  Thurston,  Edmund  Davis.  Of  the  orig- 
inal building  committee,  Mr.  Francis  S.  Brownell  is  the  qnly 
survivor. 


CHAPTER    XXVll. 

Notable  Amateur  Organizations— Providence  Dramatk  So<  ikty— 
Amateuk  Dramatic  Club— Hammer  and  Tongs  Society—  Daven- 
port Dramatic  Club— The  Talma  Club— Theatkk  Comique— 
Westminster Mu8ee— Providence  Museum— Sans  Sulci  Garden— 
Park  Garden— Conclusion. 

ONE  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  local  amateur  associ- 
ations of  which  there  is  record  was  the  Providence 
Dramatic  Society,  whose  opening  performance  took 
place  April  8,  1859,  in  a  hall  on  Weybosset  street,  opposite 
the  Post  Office.  The  plays  performed  were  "Sent  to  the 
Tower"  and  "No.  1,  'Round  the  Corner,"  and  these  pie 
had  been  selected  because  they  required  no  female  perform- 
ers. No  ladies  were  ever  on  the  list  of  active  members  of 
the  Society,  as  it  was  feared  that  as  volunteers  they  could  not 
be  depended  upon  for  punctuality.  Consequently,  several 
ladies  of  excellent  character  and  possessed  of  some  previous 
stage  experience  were  engaged,  and  they  justified  all  the  So- 
ciety's expectations,  for  during  a  service  of  four  years  they 
never  missed  a  rehearsal  or  a  performance,  and  were  always 
tastefully  attired  and  "letter  perfect  "  in  their  parts.  These 
ladies  were  Miss  Mary  Morse,  Miss  Amanda  Morse,  and  Miss 
Francis,  afterwards  Mrs.  Fiske.  When  the  exigencies  <>t  the 
cast  required  an  additional  lady,  Miss  Louisa  Morse  rend 
valuable  assistance.  On  one  occasion  (Sept.  26,  iS; 
Jean  Margaret  Davenport,  now  the  widow  of  General  Lander, 
personated  Laura  Leeson  in  ••Time  Tries  All,"  Mis.  Albert 
Dailey  playing  Fanny  Fact. 

The  most  noteworthy  performance  oi  the  Society  during 
its  first  year  was  "  Richelieu,"  the  title  rdle  being  sustained 
by  James  G.  Markland,  a  prominent  law;  ! 

performed  four  consecutive  evenings  in    May,  [859.     Dui 
this  year  twenty-five  performance  iven. 


270"  HISTORY     OF    THE 

At  the  expiration  of  the  year's  lease  the  Society  moved 
into  the  Infantry  Armory  Hall,  on  Meeting  street,  which 
they  had  turned  into  a  pretty  theatre.  The  scenery  was 
excellent  in  quality,  some  of  the  scenes  being  presents 
from  liberal  friends  of  the  Society,  and  the  act  drop,  repre- 
senting the  city  of  Rome,  with  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo  in 
the  foreground  and  the  Church  of  St.  Peter  in  the  distance, — 
a  fine  work  of  art  by  Ernest  Barton, — was  always  admired  by 
the  spectators.  The  initial  performance,  consisting  of 
"Dreams  of  Delusion"  and  "The  Two  Buzzards,"  took 
place  April  11,  i860.  During  the  year  twenty-four  perform- 
ances were  given. 

During  the  third  year  of  the  Society's  existence  there  were 
only  sixteen  performances.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion  broke 
out  in  the  spring  of  1861  and  absorbed  public  attention,  and 
the  Society  voted  in  May  not  to  play  again  until  the  end  of 
the  war.  The  war,  however,  did  not  end  as  soon  as  was  ex- 
pected, and  plays  were  again  put  upon  the  stage.  On  the 
26th  of  November,  1861,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  L.  Davenport 
played  the  "  Morning  Call  "  and  read  several  selected  pieces 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Society. 

During  the  fourth  year,  as  many  of  the  active  members 
had  left  the  city,  some  to  enter  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States,  and  others  to  change  their  residence,  it  was 
impossible  to  produce  plays  as  well  as  was  desirable.  Hence 
there  were  only  four  performances,  the  last  one  occurring 
Feb.  5,  1863,  when  the  bill  was  "  The  Weathercock "  and 
"  Slasher  and  Crasher."  Soon  afterwards  the  Society  dis- 
banded, and  the  scenery  was  sold  to  parties  in  Boston. 

The  organization  was  supported  partly  by  a  tax  on  its  ac- 
tive members  and  partly  by  a  yearly  payment  from  each  of 
its  subscribing  members,  who,  with  their  families,  were  alone 
admitted  to  the  performance,  a  privilege  much  coveted.  The 
principal  performers  were  James  G.  Markland,  leading  old 
man  ;  John  Howe,  comedian  and  stage  manager ;  William 
J.  Clarke,  tragedian  ;  Walter  Manton,  comedian  ;  George  Syd- 
ney, eccentric  comedian  ;  Charles  Blake,  comedian  ;  George 
H.  Ware,  A.  V.  D'Costa,  Samuel  N.  Woodruff,  J.  H.  Allen, 
Frederick  Anthony,  George  Anthony,  Frank  Knowles,  Wil- 
liam B.  Dennis,  Thomas  A.  Randall,  E.  K.  Godfrey,  John  G. 
Hazard,  and  James  H.  Bugbee ;  but  there  were  others  who 


PROVIDENCE     MACE.  27  1 

occasionally  rendered  assistance.     Three  of  the  active  mem- 
bers, viz.,  Messrs.  Howe,  Marklarid,  and  Sydney,  had  b< 
fessional   actors,   and  two  others   became   such.     Mr.    Carlo 
Mauran,  whose  stage  name  was  Harry  Bloodgood,  was  on< 
the  latter. 

About  fourteen  years  ago  the  Amateur  Dramatic  Club,  that 
had  found  previous  accommodations  in  Union  and  then  in 
Barney's  Hall,  took  possession  of  Dramatic  Hall,  on  South 
Main  street.  The  building  was  formerly  a  church,  then  a 
morgue,  then  a  livery  stable  and  hack  office,  and  then  a  riding 
school.  After  laying  out  $4,00001- S5, 000  upon  it  they  opened 
it  as  a  club  theatre  and  society  gathering  place.  For  five  or 
six  seasons  they  were  eminently  successful,  and  then  the 
"green-eyed  monster,  jealousy,"  cooperated  with  some  one 
who  managed  to  get  the  accounts  into  very  complicated  con- 
dition, and  the  club  died  out.  Friday,  Jan.  7,  1877,  this  club 
opened  their  new  theatre  with  the  three-act  play,  "Apple 
Blossoms,"  with  the  following  cast :  Mr.  Penryn,  Arthur  L 
Brown  ;  Tom  Penryn,  his  son,  W.  S.  Daboll  ;  Bob  Pro///, 
Jeffrey  Davis ;  Mr.  Temple,  John  F.  Tobey ;  The  Great 
Baggs,  a  showman,  H.  B.  Bowen  ;  Handsome  />/'//,  Rath  bone 
Gardner  ;  Town  Crier,  Clinton  Mauran  ;  Jennie,  Kitty,  and 
Mrs.  Page,  by  Misses  Minnie  Hitchcock,  Balch,  and  Neei. 

The  club  met  with  much  encouragement.  Nearly  all  their 
plays  were  privately  produced  to  audiences  consisting  solely 
of  subscribers  and  invited  guests.  They  gave  many  pleasant 
entertainments,  yet  it  always  was  left  to  be  wished  that  they 
had  cast  their  plays  more  upon  the  professional  lines  oi  special 
ability  in  the  performers  for  their  parts,  than  for  the  purely 
social  standpoint  that  they  considered  fust  of  all. 

Several  other  standard  plays  were  produced  that  season, 
and  prominent  among  the  casts  besides  those  already  men- 
tioned were  Messrs.  S.  W.  Nickerson,  Matthew  Watson, 
William  G.  Nightingale,  Elisha  Dyer,  )v.,  S.  C.  Blodget, 
H.  F.  Lippitt,  Miss  Emily  Jones,  Miss  Mary  Simmons,  Mrs, 
Frederick  Grinned  and  Miss  E.  I  >.   Potter. 

Important  plays  of  the  second  season  were  "S<  ho-!,"  with 
Augustus  S.  Miller  as  Bean  Farintosh,  A.  S.  Nickerson 
as  Jack   Poyntz,    S.    W.   Nickerson    as    Lord    ■  I 

Philip  Mason  as  Dr.  Sutcliffe,   and  "  Our   Boys,"   with    I      B 
Greene  as  Middlcivick. 


2  72  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Among  other  performances  of  the  third  year  were  "Take 
That  Girl  Away,"  "  Who  Killed  Cock  Robin  ?"  and  "  Weak 
Woman  ;  "  and  the  fourth  season,  which  opened  with  a  con- 
cert, saw  Howard  Hoppin's  operatta,  "  Oleo-Margarine,"  and 
"Papa  Perichon,"  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer,"  L'Homme 
Blaze,"  and  a  "Tangled  Skein,"  with  A.  D.  Payne  as  Sir 
Reginald  Houghton. 

In  the  season  of  1881-82,  was  given  "A  Lesson  in  Love," 
and  the  following  year  "  Woodcock's  Little  Game,"  and 
"  Ours." 

The  Hammer  and  Tongs  Society  of  Brown  University  was 
in  its  glory  in  those  days,  and  every  season  they  gave  several 
performances  of  burlesques  with  much  merit  and  success. 
Several  times  they  essayed  mfnstrel  shows  that  are  well 
remembered,  and  in  whose  lists  we  may  find  the  names  of 
many  of  the  present  leading  professional  and  business  men  of 
this  city.  Kate  Field  appeared  at  Dramatic  Hall  in  January, 
1881. 

Dramatic  clubs  without  number  and  some  almost  without 
present  record  have  had  their  rise  and  fall  within  the  last 
decade. 

The  Davenport  Dramatic  Club  gave  "  Time  and  the  Hour  " 
at  Dramatic  Hall,  and  the  Haskins  Dramatic  Club  have  ap- 
peared at  infrequent  intervals.  "The  Eccentrics"  played 
"Caste"  in  1877,  with  John  O.  Darling  as  Old Eccles.  Four 
or  five  years  later  the  Union  Dramatic  Club  gave  "  Nick  of 
the  Woods,"  with  Mark  Clemence  as  the  Jibbcnainosay. 

Many  more  have  had  their  hour  to  "  strut  upon  the  stage 
and  then  have  been  seen  no  more."  It  was  left  for  the  Talma 
Club  to  take  up  the  work  that  the  Amateur  Dramatic  Club 
put  down,  and  to  do  more  than  any  club  in  this  city  (with 
perhaps  one  exception),  has  ever  been  able  to  accomplish. 
This  club  was  really  the  outgrowth  of  some  entertainments 
given  in  the  Providence  Opera  House  in  the  winter  of  1886, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Boating  Association  of  Brown  Uni- 
versity, called  "  Grand  Historical,  Chronological  and  Alle- 
gorical Dramatic  Pageant  of  the  Coronation  of  Columbus." 
It  was  named  after  the  great  French  actor  of  the  Comedie 
Francais,  who  was  the  first  to  strive  after  that  perfection  and 
realism  of  effect,  and  naturalness  in  small  parts  as  well  as  the 
leading  ones,  and  for  harmonious  and  appropriate   surround- 


PROVIDENXE    STAGE. 


-  /  J 


ings   of  costume  and  scene.     This    club    secured    Dramatic 
Kail,  and,  after  a  good  deal  of  hard   work,   gave  its  first  | 
formance  there  on  Feb.  15,    [886,   which   was  very  succi 
ful.     Several   other  performances  followed  that  season,  many 
of  them  in  other  parts  of  the  state. 

The  second  season  of  the  club  was  more  brilliant  than  the 
first,  and  the  high  standard  that  they  had  set  they  seemed 
to  more  than  sustain.  Strong  plays,  like  "Helping  Hands  " 
and  "Our  Boys,"  were  given,  the  latter  several  times  at 
home  and  once  in  the  theatre  at  Pawtucket. 

The  beginning  of  the  third  year  witnessed  a  sudden  jump 
in  the  membership  from  about  thirty-five  to  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five.  Several  hundred  dollars  were  expended  in  im- 
provements. Mr.  W.  A.  Brownell  and  Mr.  James  Hill,  who 
had  been  president  and  secretary  respectively,  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  Hiram  Kendall  and  Daniel  Webster,  Jr.,  during 
the  previous  season.  Shortly  after  this,  Mr.  Hill,  who  had 
been  pleased  with  his  taste  of  theatrical  life,  sold  out  his 
business  in  America  and  returned  to  his  native  country, 
England,  where  he  has  since  become  a  well-known  theatrical 
manager,  and  has  written  several  successful  comediettas. 
He  is  at  present  associated  with  the  English  playwright  and 
actor,  J.  B.  Mulholland,  in  the  management  of  the  Theatre 
Royal,  Nottingham. 

This  year  "  Esmeralda,"  "King  Rene's  Daughter,"  '•  (  >ur 
Boys,"  etc.,  were  produced  in  an  admirable  manner. 

The  fourth  season  witnessed  many  accessions  of  new  talent, 
and  one  or  two  important  productions.  The  club's  twenty 
seventh  performance,  which  opened  it,  was  given  on  Novem 
ber  14th,  and  consisted  of  "To  Oblige  Benson,"  and  "A  Cup 
of  Tea,"  which  was  admirably  played  by  a  cist  which  in 
eluded  Miss  Gilbreth  as  Lady  Clara,  Albeit  G.  Carpenter  as 
Scroggins,  and  James  B.  Ryder  as  Sir  Charles. 

The  most  elaborate  of  all   their  performana  eason 

was  the   production   of   "She    Stoops   to   Conquer."     Miss 
Annie   M.   Gilbreth  appeared  as   Miss    HardcastU,  and   Mi 
Henry  A.  Barker  as   Tony.     Mrs.  W.  W.   Flint 
Hardcastle,   Mr.    Farnsworth    was    Mr.    Hardca 
Ryder  and  Weeden  were  the  two  young  gentlem 
and  Hastings,  Mr.   Kranx  was  I  Mr.   M< 

Charles  Marlowe,  Miss   Lewis  was  C  ■■■'  and  8 

the  minor  parts  were  unusually  well  taki  1 
is 


2  74  HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  plays  of  the  fifth  season,  1890-91.  were  much  more 
numerous  than  those  of  any  preceding  one.  From  October 
16th,  when  they  opened  in  "Home,"  until  April  30th,  when 
the  season  closed  with  a  repetition  of  "  She  Stoops  to 
Conquer  "  at  the  Providence  Opera  House,  new  plays  were 
given  in  rapid  succession,  and  raised  the  number  of  produc- 
tions on  their  list  from  forty  to  about  sixty. 

For  the  fiftieth  performance  the  club  revived  "Esmeralda," 
in  a  way  more  elegant  than  before,  and  with  all  the  original 
cast,  which  included  Miss  F.  E.  Mosher,  Francis  Pratt,  Mrs. 
W.  W.  Flint,  George  Packard,  Daniel  Webster,  Jr.,  Henry  A. 
Barker,  Miss  L.  Edith  Lilley,  Miss  Ella  Stafford,  Robert  L. 
Barker  and  Hiram  Kendall. 

The  Talma  Club  is  now  an  incorporated  society.  It  is  well 
organized,  under  a  strong  constitution,  with  a  board  of  twelve 
general  managers,  who  in  turn  elect  an  executive  committee, 
consisting  of  the  president,  Hiram  Kendall ;  the  secretary, 
Arthur  P.  Weeden  ;  the  treasurer,  James  B.  Ryder,  and  the 
assistant  secretary  and  treasurer,  Wm.  H.  Wing. 

The  vice  president  and  general  manager  is  Mr.  Henry  A. 
Barker,  who  has  filled  that  position  since  the  club  started. 
He  has  designed  and  painted  all  the  scenes,  and  generally  all 
the  movements  of  the  players,  and  besides  this  has  enacted 
a  wide  range  of  important  parts  with  success.  The  assist- 
ant stage  manager  is  Mr.  A.  G.  Kranz,  who  is  a  character  ac- 
tor  of  marked  ability. 

The  Theatre  Comique  opened  in  November,  1874.  Archie 
Stalker  was  the  first  manager.  Then  John  D.  Hopkins  and 
Mr.  James  Tinker  became  the  managers.  Following  them 
were  Messrs.  Robert  Morrow  and  J.  D.  Hopkins.  It  made  a 
great  deal  of  money  while  this  firm  had  it,  the  profits  being 
about  S22,ooo  in  one  season  alone.  Mr.  Morrow  sold  out  in 
1885  to  Hopkins  &  Magee,  and  took  the  management  of  the 
Providence  Opera  House,  where  he  has  since  continued. 
The  Comique  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire  Feb.  17,  1887. 
Upon  its  site  now  stands  the  Swarts  building. 

The  Sans  Souci  Garden,  located  near  the  foot  of  Broad- 
way, was  first  opened  as  a  concert  garden  in  June,  1878. 
After  a  few  weeks  specialty  performers  were  engaged.  The 
second  season,  1879,  "Pinafore"  was  produced  for  quite  a 
"run,"  and   then    the  "  Chimes  of  Normandy."     The  third 


PROVIDENCE     STACK.  275 

season,  the  opera  of  "  Contrabandista  "  had  a  brief  run,  and 
then  came  "  Fatinitza,"  which  attracted  crowded  house- 
three  months  or  more.  For  four  or  five  years  following,  comic 
opera  was  given  almost  exclusively,  and  then  dramatic  enter- 
tainments were  successfully  given.  Among  the  dramatic 
and  lyric  stars  and  companies  which  have  appeared  there,  are 
Henry  Chanfrau,  the  Boston  Theatre  Company,  Murray  and 
Murphy,  Tellula  Evans,  "Rice's  Surprise  Party,"  "Three 
Wives  to  One  Husband,"  Corinne  Opera  Company,  Mile. 
Lucette,  Jennie  Calef,  "Lizzie  Evans,  Louise  Pomroy,  the 
Redmund-Barry  Company,  Harry  Lacy,  Louise  Litta,  Ben 
Maginley,  Gracie  Emmet,  Dan  Mason,  Boston  Opera  Com- 
pany, Lottie  Church,  Edmund  Collier,  Braham  Comedy  Com- 
pany, Marland  Clarke,  E.  P.  Sullivan,  Pat.  Rooney,  Charles 
Bowser,  Rufus  Scott,  etc.  The  Redmund-Barry  Company 
played  an  engagement  of  eight  weeks  there  in  [886,  to  al- 
most continued  crowded  houses. 

The  Park  Garden,  under  the  management  of  Messrs.  Shir- 
ley and  Reeves,  was  located  on  Broad  street,  near  the  South 
Providence  horse  car  barn.  It  comprised  twenty  acres  of 
land,  enclosed  by  41,820  feet  of  high  board  fence.  It  was 
opened  June  24,  1878,  by  a  "feast  of  lanterns,"  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Irrepressible  Society.  The  first  season  was 
devoted  to  a  display  of  fireworks  on  the  lake,  with  scenery 
illustrating  the  eruption  of  Mount  Vesuvius  and  destruction 
of  Pompeii.  Performances  of  various  kinds  were  given 
there,  but  the  principal  event  was  the  most  realistic  produc- 
tion ever  given  in  this  country  of  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's 
ebrated  opera  of  "Pinafore."  The  garden  was  especially 
adapted  for  such  a  performance.  It  had  a  natural  lake 
feet  long  and  150  feet  wide,  enclosed  in  a  natural  amphithea- 
tre, and  upon  the  banks  an  audience  of  tour  or  live  thousand 
people  was  frequently  assembled.  A  ship  rigged  like  .1  man 
of-war,  the  deck  of  which  was  1  10  feet  in  length,  was  built  in 
the  centre  of  the  lake,  and  upon   its  deck  the  opi  ling 

every  night  (Sundays  excepted)  for  thirteen  weeks,  h 
pany  of  about  one  hundred,  accompanied  by  ^n 
twenty-eight  pieces.     Anion,    1  he   realistic  features  was  the 
manner   in    which    Little  Buttercup,  the  Admiral,  and    H 
and  the  Sisters,  Cousins  and  Aunts  boarded  the  ship 
performance.     Three  boats  were  used  for  this  pui  1 


276  HISTORY    OF    THE 

first  was  rowed  by  Buttercup  herself,  the  second  and  third  by 
regular  men-of-war  men  from  the  government  vessel,  Blake, 
which  was  stationed  here  that  summer.  These  real  sailors 
went  "aloft  "  as  soon  as  they  reached  the  deck  of  H.  31.  S. 
Piuafore,  and  remained  there  until  after  the  Admiral's  open- 
ing song.  The  original  cast  of  "  Pinafore  "  at  the  Garden  was 
as  follows :  Josep/iiue,  Signora  Marie  Baratta  Morgan ;  But- 
tercup,  Ada  Byron  Coombs  ;  Hebe,  Fannie  Corey ;  Admiral, 
George  W.  Wilson  ;  Captaiu,  William  S.  Daboll ;  RalpJi 
Rackstraiu,  Charles  H.  Drew ;  Dick  Deadeye,  Stanley  Felch  ; 
Boatszvaiii,  W.  J.  Cushing. 

The  following  season  the  Chinese  opera  of  "Ambassador's 
Daughter"  was  also  produced  here  in  a  most  realistic  man- 
ner, and  "  Pinafore  "  was  also  tried  again  for  a  few  weeks.  The 
garden  was  likewise  celebrated  for  some  of  the  most  interest- 
ing walking  matches  that  have  ever  been  held  in  New  Eng- 
land. All  of  the  celebrated  pedestrians  in  the  country,  in- 
cluding Weston,  appeared  here,  and  contested  for  liberal 
purses. 

The  Garden  was  closed  in  1883,  the  land  having  been 
leased  for  five  years.  The  last  two  years'  performances  were 
given  in  the  Pavilion  by  various  combinations  of  players. 

Among  the  notable  entertainments  should  be  mentioned 
the  very  fine  displays  of  fireworks,  which  were  in  many  cases 
decidedly  original,  and  were  manufactured  on  the  grounds. 
The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  were  encamped  there  for 
five  days,  one  season,  and  a  notable  feature  was  a  very  real- 
istic sham  battle. 

The  Westminster  Musee  was  opened  March  8,  1886,  by 
Charles  F.  Handy  &  Co.  Variety  entertainments  were  given 
upon  its  stage,  while  in  adjoining  halls  were  exhibitions  of 
"freaks,"  etc.  For  two  or  three  years  it  was  an  exceedingly 
profitable  house,  and  Mr.  Handy  retired  with  a  snug  little 
fortune  at  the  end  of  that  time.  Since  then  it  has  had  vari- 
ous managers,  and  they  have  tried  almost  everything  to  restore 
its  popularity,  but  without  much  success. 

Another  place  of  amusement  is  the  Providence  Museum, 
now  managed  by  Dr.  Lothrop,  of  Boston.  Mr.  Handy  was 
also  connected  with  that  in  its  early  career,  and  it  was  quite 
popular.  Mr.  B.  F.  Keith,  now  the  manager  of  Keith's 
Gaiety  Opera  House,  began  his  managerial   career  in   Provi- 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE.  2" 

dence  as  the  manager  of  that  house,  with  Mr.  E.  F.  Albee  as 
the  local  manager.     While  he  was  there  business  was  always 

equal  to  the  capacity  of  the  house,  and  the  audiences  were 
much  pleased  with  the  manner  in  which  the  house  was  con- 
ducted, that  there  was  general  rejoicing  when  it  was  learned 
that  Mr.  Keith  had  secured  the  lease  of   Low's  Grand  Opera 
House. 

Dr.  Lothrop  has,  since  he  succeeded  Mr.  Keith,  made  the 
house  very  popular  by  giving  his  patrons  standard  drama,  with 
good  companies  at  low  prices.  He  has  obtained  adjoining 
property,  and  will  doubtless  enlarge  the  theatre  another 
season. 

The  history  of  the  Providence  stage  is  now  complete  up  to 
the  present  date.     The  writer  has  endeavored  to  make  it  cor- 
rect and  as  concise  as  possible,  and  he  hopes  that  his  work  will 
meet  with  general  approval.     Providence,  twenty-five   years 
ago  had  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best   show   towns 
in  America,  but  the  illiberality  of  a  few  managers  who  tried 
hard  to  make  the  public  accept  miserable   performances  and 
pay  high  prices  for  them  soon  resulted  in  destroying  the  con- 
fidence of  the  theatrically  inclined,  and  managers    ol 
attractions  suffered  so  much  from  it  that  many  of  them  would 
not    visit    Providence    at    all.     The   Frohmans,    Daniel   and 
Charles,  were  among  the  first  who  began  to  get  a  reward  for 
bringing  first-class  companies  and   first-class   plays    to    1': 
dence,  and  now,  almost  anything  with   their   names   as    man- 
agers, is  liberally  patronized  here,  and  probably  will  be  while 
they  keep  their  reputation  up  to  the   present    standard. 
J.  M.  Hill's  companies  have  also  been  very  acceptable,  and  so 
have  the  companies  sent  by  Mr.  John  Stetson  and    from   the 
Casino  in  New  York.     Mr.  Palmer  and    Mr.    Daly   Inn- 
crossed  Providence  from  their  list,  although,  if  they  should  s 
their  companies  here  now  with  somen!  their  latest  su 
they  would  doubtless  find  the  visits  remunerative. 


279 


APPENDIX     A.- 


THE  expedients  to  which  the  unlicensed  votaries  of  the  histrionic  art  have 
been  driven  in  order  to  evade  the  penalties  inflicted  by  this  Act,  (12th 
of  Anne),  are  well  exemplified  in  the  following  play-bill,  (the  original  is 
before  ns),  which  is  curious  in  another  point  of  view,  as  we  here  find  tin- 
lady,  who  was  destined  to  become  the  most  distinguished  tragic  actres 
her  time,  announced  prima  donna  in  the  opera  of  "Love  in  a  Village." 
There  is  considerable  merit  in  the  scheme  of  insinuating  "  polite  literature  " 
into  the  inhabitants  of  Wolverhampton,  by  the  sale  of  an  assortment  of  tooth 
powder  at  2s,  is,  and  6c2  a  paper.— Jurist,   Vol.  l,  p.  -'TU. 

"MR.  KEMBLE, 

With  humble  submission 

(To  the  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  Wolverhampton,  and  the  Town  in  general), 

proposes  entertaining  them         • 

On  Wednesday  evening,  the  8th  instant,  at  the  Tov?  n  Ham., 

with  a  ('mm  i ;b i 

of 

Vocal  and  Instbumeni  \i    Ml  3  re, 

Divided  Into  three  parts. 


Between  the  several  parts  of  The  Con<  i  rt, 
(For  the  amusement  of  the  Town,  and  the  further  Improvement  ol  Politj 

I.I  m  RATI   i.i  . 
fi  ll. I.   BE   CONTIN1  I  D 

THE     HISTRIONK       l<    \\<\   m  \ 

with  specimen 
The  various  Mod:  -  oi  Ei  oi  i  i  ion, 

By  Inhabitants  oi    rHi    ro 

■    7. 


280  PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 

(For  their  diversion), 

Without  fee,  gain,  hire,  or  reward. 

The  specimens  of  this  night's  amusement  will  be  taken  from 

A  Comic  Opeua,  called 

LOVE    IN    A    VILLAGE. 


Sir  William  Meadows, 

by 

Mr.  K-MB-LE, 

Young  Meadows, 

by 

Mrs.  S-dd-ns, 

Justice  Woodcock, 

by 

Mr.  B-rt-n, 

Hawthorne, 

by 

Mr.  C-RR-K, 

Eustace, 

by 

Mr.  D-l-ne, 

Carter, 

by 

Mr.  D-w-ng, 

Countrymen  at  the  Statue, 

Mr.  H-m-l-t  N,  5 

Hodge, 

by 

Mr.  J-N-s, 

Eosetta, 

by 

Miss  K-MB-L-E, 

Lucinda, 

by 

Mrs.  H-m-lt-n, 

Mrs.  Deborah  Woodcock, 

by 

Mrs.  Bu-ch-k, 

Housemaid, 

by 

Miss  F.  K-MB-LE, 

Cook, 

by 

Mrs.  Na-l-k, 

Madge, 

by 

Mrs.  K-mb-le. 

-A-I ,-K,  &C 


And  concluded  with  Comic  Orations,  &c, 

from 

The  Fiddler  turned  Citizen. 

***  This  is  to  assure  the  public  that  no  money  will  be  taken  for  admittance, 
nor  will  any  Tickets  be  sold  ;  therefore  all  persons  inclined  to  attend  the 
Conceit,  are  desired  to  call  at  Mr.  Latham's,  at  the  Swan,  where  tickets 
will  be  delivered  (Tratis  to  his  friends  and  acquaintance. 

N.  B.  Mr.  Latham  has  a  quantity  of  Tooth-Powder  (from  London), 
which  he  intends  selling  in  papers,  at  2s,  Is,  and  6cZ  each.  The  same 
Powders  may  likewise  be  had  at  Mr.  Smart's,  and  Mr.  Smith's  Printing 
Office,  and  at  the  Talbot,  in  King  street. 

The  Concert  to  begin  at  5  o'clock,  and  the  Lectures  exactly  at  half-past  6. 

It  is  humbly  hoped  no  Ladies  or  Gentlemen  will  take  it  amiss,  that  they  can 
not  possibly  be  admitted  without  a  ticket." 


28.1 


PLAY    BILLS. 

PROVIDENCE   THE  A  T  K  E  . 
1812. 


THE  managers  have  the  pleasure  of  announcing  to  tin-  public  that  they 
have  engaged 

MR.  COOKE 

To  perform  in  the  Providence  Theatre  for  six  nights  only.  During  the  en- 
gagement no  play  can  be  repeated. 

In  order  to  prevent  difficulty,  and  give  an  equal  chance  to  the  publick  in 
general  to  witness  the  brilliant  performances  of  tliis  justly  celebrated  actor, 
a  box  plan  with  the  whole  of  the  boxes  regularly  numbered  will  be  opened 
at  the  Box  office  of  the  Theatre,  at  ten  o'clock  on  each  day  of  performance, 
when  places  may  be  taken  in  any  number  not  exceeding  ten,  nor  less  than 
two. 

This  Evening,  July  13th,  (1812),  will  be  presented  tor  the  only  time  this 
season,  Shakspeare's  celebrated  comedy  in  five  acts,  called 

T  II  E   M  ERC  ll  A  \  T   OF    V  E  N  t(    I 

Shylock,  (for  that  night  only,)  -                   -          .       M«  Cooke 
of  the  Theatre  Royal,  Covent  Garden,  London,  (his  firsl  appearance  hi 

Antonio,  -          -       Mr.  D 

Gratiano,  -  -              Mr.  Waring. 

Bassanio,        -  -      Mr.  To 

Lorenzo,   -  Mi    Robertson. 

Duke,    -          -          -  -                            Mr.  CI 

Launcelot,          -          -          -  Mr.  Di<  I  enson. 

Gobbo,           -  -                   -       -N'i    Barnes. 

Salanio,    -  Mr.  Roberts. 

Salarino,                             -  -       Mr.  Spiller 

Tubal,       ..-.-  Mr.  Entw  Istle. 

Balthazar,       -         -  -       Master  a.  Dra 

Portia,      -                            -  Mrs.  Powell. 

Nerissa,         -         -  Mrs.  To 

Jessica,  (her  firsl  appearance  In  Providence,)          Miss  Delllnger 


282 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


To  which  will  be  added  a  much  admired  Entertainment,  never  performed 
here,  called 

PLOT  AND  COUNTERPLOT, 

or  The  Portrait  of  Ckrvantes,  as  performed  in  London  with  the  most 
unbounded  applause. 


Hernandez, 

Don  Gaspard, 

Don  Leon, 

Don  Fernando, 

Isidore, 

Fabio, 

Pedrillo, 

Pachio, 

Donna  Lorenza, 

Joanna,     - 

Beatrice, 


Mr.  Drake. 
Mr.  Roberts. 
Mr.  Robertson. 
Mr.  Spiller. 
Mr.  Clarke. 
Mr.  Entwistle. 
Mr.  Dickenson. 
Master  A.  Drake. 
Miss  Dellinger. 
Mrs.  Drake. 
Mrs.  Barnes. 


5^" Tickets  and  places  for  the  Boxes  may  be  had  of  Mi:.  Lyndon,  at  the 
Theatre,  on  the  days  of  performance,  from  3  o'clock  until  the  close  of  the 
entertainment. 

Doors  to  be  opened  a  quarter  before  seven,  and  the  curtain  to  rise  at  a 
quarter  before  eight,  precisely. 

Ugl^On  no  account  whatever,  will  the  smoking  of  Cigars  be  permitted  in 
any  part  of  the  theatre. 


LION    THEATRE, 

PROVIDENCE. 


The  managers  respectfully  inform  the  citizens  of  Providence  that  the 
theatre  was  opened  Tuesday,  May  10th,  (183G),  with  appropriate  (Scenery, 
Dresses,  and  Decorations.  The  interior  of  the  building  has  undergone  an  en- 
tire alteration,  which  they  trust  will  be  to  the  satisfaction  and  comfort  of 
the  audience. 

Stage  Manager,  Mr.  Ingersoll— Acting  Manager,  Mr.  Houpt— Artist,  Mr. 
Schinotti — Leader  of  the  Orchestra,  J.  Clemens. 

The  managers  respectfully  inform  the  public  that  the  performance  of  last 
evening  will  be  repeated  this  evening,  May  11th. 

The  Evening's  Entertainment  to  commence  with  the  interesting  Drama, 
entitled, 

THE    WANDERING    BOYS. 

Mrs.  Houpt. 
Mrs.  Ingersoll. 


Paul-       iw      ,     •      n 
Justin,    (Wandering  Boys, 


Count  de  Croissey, 
Roland, 


Mr.  Houpt. 
Verne. 


PROVIDENCE    ST.M.I-. 


-^ 


Lubin, 

Gregorie, 

Gaspard, 

Hubert, 

Sentinel, 

Baroness, 

Marceline, 

Louise,     -  -  - 

Indian  Wab  Dance,    - 
Comic  Song, 
Frog  Dance, 


lyer. 
Marshall. 
Curtis. 

U'yatt. 

Smith. 

Mrs.  J..  Mestayei . 
Mi  -.  J.  Mestayer. 
Mi>-  Elarley. 

Mr.  Schinotti. 
Mr.  Mestayer. 
Master  C.  Mestayer. 


The  Evening's  Entertainment  to  conclude  with  the  Laughable  Farce  of 

THE  YOUNG  WIDOW. 

Manville,  ......  Mr.  Boupt. 

Splash,  (with  a  mock  minuet),  -         -  -     Mr.  Mestayer. 

Messrs.  Potter  and  Gould  are  engaged  to  preserve  strict  order  ;  and  no 
smoking  allowed. 

Boxes,  75  cents.    Pit,  37^  cents. 

Doors  open  at  7  o'clock.  Performance  to  commence  at  half  past  7.  pre- 
cisely. 

Box  office  open  from  10  to  1 ;  and  from  3  to  5  p.  m. 


PROVIDENCE    THE  A  11,1 


The  public  are  respectfully  informed  that  this  new  and  splendid  Entertain- 
ment will  be  open  for  the  season  on 

ThisEveniwj,  October  29 

under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  MsADEBand  Ki.ynn,  with  a  Full  and  efficient 
Company;  which  for  talent  and  respectability  is  nol  t<>  !»•  surpassed. 

In  order  to  render  the  Orchestra  complete  an  engagement  lias  been  entered 
into  with  the  American  Brass  Band,  aided  by  artists  of  acknow 
talent  from  New  STork  and  Boston. 

Leader  of  Orchestra,        -         -  ^'    Wo  ds. 

In  addition  to  the  talented  Company  engaged,  Mr.  Gates,  tin 
Comedian  from  the  Bowery  Theatre,  New   Xork;  Mr.   Flynn,  and  Mrs. 
Maede'r,  (formerly  Miss  Cla.ua  Fisher),  will  have  the  honor  "f  making 
their  appearance. 

Director  of  the  Music,  -  Mx<   Maeder, 

who  w  ill  preside  at  the  Piano  Forte. 

This  Ev(  ning,  1 1 

will  be  performed  Cherrj  's  Comedj  of  the 


284 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


SOLDIER'S    DAUGHTER,. 


Governor  Heartall, 
FiiANK  HKARTAIiL, 

Captain  Woodley, 
Young  Malfort, 
Timothy  Quaint, 
Ferrett, 

Widow  Cheerly, 
Mrs.  Malfort,    - 
Mrs.  Fidget, 
Susan, 


Mr.  Nickerson. 
Mr.  Flynn. 
Mr.  Fen  no. 
Mr.  Jackson. 
Mr.  Gates. 
Mr.  McDonald. 
Mrs.  Maeder. 
Mrs.  Rider. 
Mrs.  Fletcher. 
Miss  Lee. 


Previous  to  the  Comedy  will  be  spoken  by  Mrs.  Maeder, 


AN    OPENING    ADDRESS. 


In  the  course  of  the  evening  the  Orchestra  will  perform  the  celebrated 
overtures  to  "Masaniello  "  and  "La  Bayadere,"  composed  by  Auber. 
The  Entertainment  to  conclude  with  the  new  and  popular  farce 

A    PLEASANT    NEIGHBOR. 

Sir  George  Howard,  -  Mr.  Haynes. 

Christopher  Strap,    -----     Mr.  Gates. 

Thomas,  ------  Mr.  McDonald. 

Lady  Howard,      ------     Mrs.  Matthews. 

Nancy  Strap,    ------  Mrs.  Rider. 

! 6§ "Price  of  admission,— Boxes,  $1;  Pit,  50 cents;  Gallery,  25  cents. 

g3f=Private  Boxes  from  $5  to  $8  a  night. 

jsg^A  few  season  tickets  will  be  sold  on  early  application  at  the  Box  Office. 

^^Doors  to  open  at  6  o'clock,  and  Curtain  to  rise  at  7  precisely. 

glf'Tickets  and  places  to  be  secured  at  the  Box  Office  from  10  a.  m.  to  2  p.  in. 

Egi^An  efficient  police  is  engaged  to  preserve  strict  order. 

iSI^A  division  in  the  gallery  for  colored  persons. 


PROVIDENCE      MUSEUM 

WESTMINSTER     STREET. 


The  proprietors  have  much  pleasure  in  announcing  to  the  citizens  of  Provi- 
dence that  the  exhibition  saloon  of  the  new  Museum  is  now  completed,  and 
that  it  will  be  opened  on 

Monday  Evening,  Dec.  25,  (184S.) 

They  are  resolved  that  the  principles  of  the  management  will  be  such  as  to 
secure  the  patronage  of  a  liberal  and  enlightened  community. 
The  dramatic  department  will  be  under  the  direction  of 

MR.    W  .    C  .    FORBES, 

late  manager  of  the  Charleston  and  Savannah  Theatres. 


PROVIDENCK    STAG!.. 

Admission  to  the  saloon,  25  cents. 

For  the  accommodation  of  parties  seats  can  be  secured  during  the  day  at 

the  ticket  office. 

The  doors  will  be  open  at  half  past  6  o'clock. 

The  overture  will  commence  at  7  o'clock  precisely;  during  which  will  in- 
exhibited  a  magnificent 

duo  p  CD B T  A  i n  , 

painted  by  Mr.  G.  Curtis. 
The  saloon  will  be  brilliantly  lighted  with  gas  from  Almy's  Ga>  Works. 
Monday  Evening,  Dec.  25, 
Will  be  performed  Tobin's  fashionable  Comedy  <>f  the 

•      HONEY    MOON. 

Duke  Aranza,  .....  Mr.  W.  C.  Forbes. 

Rolando,  .....  Mr.  A.  Andrews. 

Jaques,  (the  Mock  Duke,)  ...  Mr.  Cowell. 

Juliana,  .....  Mrs.  W.  C.  Forbes. 

Volante,  .......  Miss  Kinlock. 

A  Pas  de  Deux  by  Miss  K.  anil  C.  Emmons. 
To  conclude  with  the  musical  Farce  of  the* 

TURNPIKE     GATK. 

Crack,     -------  Mr.  Cowell. 

Joe  Standfast,       -----  Mr.  A.  Andrews. 

Peggy,    -------  Miss  Carman. 


F  O  It  B  E  S '  S     THEATRE. 

(NEW  MUSEUM  BUILDING.) 


GRAND    OPENING     NIGHT, 

Commencement  Jubiitc.     Si>lcn<li<l  Entertainment.     r>ui*n<ii  array  <•/  Talent. 

Sl\eri<l»n'B  j\I"-<    Splendid  Comedy. 

New  iiml  Beautiful  Boenery. 

W.  C.  Forbes  most  respectfully  announces  to  the  citizens  of  Providence 
and  to  the  people  of  Rhode  fsland  generally,  thai  liaving,  after  his  heavj 

losses  by  the  late  fire,  ami  many  subsequent  disc agements,  eventually 

succeeded  in  securing  the  erection  of  a   new  and    spacious  Theatre,  he  will 
have  the  honor  of  opening  the  same  for  public  patronage  on 
Wednesday  Evening,  September*,  1864. 

It  will  be  his  constant  study  to  present  such  a  series  of  evening  enter- 
tainments as  will  be  in  every  respeel  acceptable  to  the  i pie  and  worthj 


286  HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  their  patronage  ;  and  to  this  end  he  has  engaged  an  unusually  large  and 
expensive  company— a  company  which  in  point  of  strength  and  variety  of 
talent,  will  compare  most  favorably  with  any  of  those  in  the  largest  cities  ; 
and  which  is,  in  truth,  altogether  superior  to  any  hitherto  employed  out  of 
those  cities. 

The  manager  has  the  pleasure  of  announcing  the  following  names:  Messrs. 
J.  H.  Oxley,  John  Dunn,  J.  D.  Grace,  E.  Varrey,  H.  O.  Pardey,  Loveday, 
Read,  Linden,  McClannin,  Bryant,  Bishop,  Miller,  Murphy,  and  H.  Pardey. 
Mesdames  W.  C.  Forbes,  H.  L.  Clark,  H.  P.  Grattan  and  Miss  Julia  Miles, 
Miss  Bryant,  Miss  Isabella  Andrews,  and  Miss  Munroe.  Mons.  and  Madame 
Gilbert,  Principal  Dancers,  from  the  Edinburg  and  Glasgow  theatres.  Herr 
Adolphe  Reinicke,  Leader  of  Orchestra  ;  J.  V.  White,  Scenic  Artist ;  Jas- 
per Davison,  Machinist ;  W.  A.  Arnold,  Treasurer. 

The  stage  is  furnished  with  entirely  new  and  very  elegant  scenery,  painted 
by  the  artist  of  the  establishment,  Mr.  White,  and  comprises  a  very  costly 
and 

MAGNIFICENT    ACT    DROP. 

The  audience  saloon  is  very  commodious,  and  is  conveniently  divided  into 
Boxes,  Family  Circle,  (or  second  tier  of  Boxes),  Parquet,  and  Gallery. 
There  are  also  a  few  Private  Boxes  and  Stage  Boxes)— The  Private  Boxes 
being  at  each  end  of  the  Family  Circle  next  the  stage— The  Proscenium 
Boxes  (that  is,  those  on  the  stage)  are  merely  for  the  use  of  the  performers. 
The  entrance  to  the  Gallery  is  from  the  avenue  on  the  west  side.  All 
other  parts  of  the  audience  saloon  are  entered  from  Westminster  street  as 
far  as  the  Box  office  on  the  second  floor,  where  three  diverging  stairways 
lead  to  the  Boxes,  Parquet,  and  Family  Circle,  The  stairways  are  all  spa- 
cious and  convenient. 

Wednesday  Evening,  September  6th,  1854, 

A  highly  diversified  and  splendid  entertainment  will  be  offered.  The  per- 
formances will  commence  with  the  Grand  National  Ode  of 

THE    STAR    SPANGLED    BANNER, 

which  will  be  sung  in  chorus  by  the  whole  company. 
This  will  be  succeeded  by  the  delivery  of  a 

POETIC    ADDRESS, 

written  for  the  occasion  by  a  gentleman  of  this  city. 

After  which  will  be  presented  Sheridan's  Classic  Comedy 
of  the 

SCHOOL    FOR    SCANDAL, 

With  a  cast  of  characters  equal  to  any  that  this  celebrated  play  has  hitherto 
received  in  this  country. 


PROVIDENCE    STAG!  . 

Sir  Peter  Teazle,         -  Mr.  W.  C.  Fort 

Joseph  Surface,    -  J.  H.  Oxley. 

Charles  Surface,        -  -  .  .       <,,  ; 

Sir  Oliver  Surface,  -  .  .  Pardey, 

Crabtree,  -  .       j.  Dunn. 

Sir  Benjamin  Backbite,  -         -         -  Loveday. 

Careless,  -  Read. 

Moses,         --...  Linden. 

Snake,  -  .  Bryant. 

Rowley,       -  ...  McClannin. 

Trip,      -  -  .  Bishop. 

William, Miller. 

John,     -  -  -         ...  .       Herbert  Pardey. 

Lady  Teazle,  -  -  -  Mrs.  W.  C.  Forbes. 

Mrs.  Candour,  -  Mrs.  II.  L.  Clark. 

Lady  Sneerwell,    -  Mrs.  Gilbert. 

Maria,    -  -       Miss  Isabella  Andrews. 
Lucy,          -  Miss  Munroe. 

Pas  De  Deux,     -  -  -       Mons.  andMdn*    I 

To  conclude  with  the  rich  and  very  laughable  Fan. 
MY    PRECIOUS    BETSEY. 
Mr.  Bobtail,  -  -  -  -        Mr.  J.  Dunn. 

Wagtail,  ...  .  Linden. 

Langford, -  -       Read. 

(for  the  other  characters  see  bills.) 

Doors  will  be  open  at  7  o'clock.    Performance  will  commence  precise!)  at 
7 \  o'clock. 
Prices  op  Admission  :    Boxes,  37£  cts. ;  Stage  Boxes,  60  cts. ;  Parquet  and 

Family  Circle,  (or  second  tiers  of  Boxes,) each  28  cts.;  Gallery,  13  cts. 
-cats  reserved  in  the  boxes,  121  cts.  extra  will  be  charged.    Private  Bi 
S3  each.  

OLD   THEATRE    BILL 

The  N.  Y.  Clipper  recently  published  a  sketch  of  Mr.  Henrj  Lewis,  who 
was  formerly  stage  manager  al  the  Dorrance-street  Theatre.  Mr.  Lewis  is 
the  father  of  the  well-known  actress,  Ettie  Henderson.    The  bill  offered  al 

his  benefit,  Dec.  27,  1841,  i>  as  follows: 

THE  \Ti;i  . 

GREATEST    vvi.l.TY    OF     I  III     SEASON 

For  the  bcnefil  of 

Mr,    LEWIS,    SI  IGE    M  W  VGER, 

who  in  announcing  the  above,  begs  mosl  resi tfullj  to  return  thanks  f"i 


288 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 


past  favors,  and  trusts  that  his  exertions  in  the  various  productions  of  the 
season  will  insure  him  that  support  it  will  ever  be  his  constant  study  to 
deserve. 

Monday  Evening,  December  27,  1841, 

will  be  presented,  for  the  first  time  a  drama  of  intense  interest,  performed  in 
London  for  one  entire  season  to  densely  crowded  houses,  entitled 

FIFTEEN   YEARS    OF    A    DRUNKARD'S    LIFE. 


Vernon, 

Glanville, 

Franklin, 

Dogrose, 

Copswood, 

Jupiter, 

Wingbred, 

Picklock, 


Prudence,    - 
Temperance, 


Mr.  Williamson 

Gann 

Locke 

Kemble 

Lewis 

-  Harris 
-   W.  H.  Russell 

-  Jones 


Pounce,  ....     Jackson 

Butts,  ....        Murphy 

Thieves,  Messrs.  Reed,  Marks,  etc. 

Isabella,  -       -     Mrs.  Hautonville 
Miss  Vernon,    ...  Miss  Burns 

Alicia,  ...     Mrs.  Russell 

Patty,  ...       Mrs.  Kemble 


In  act  first 
A    GRAND    MASQUERADE. 


Mrs.  W.  H.  Russell 
Miss  Burns 


FANCY  DANCE,  LA  PETITE  BERTHA. 


Comic  Song— "Teetotal  Society," 

Song— "Rory  O'Moore," 

La  Cracovienne,  second  time, 


Mr.  Lewis 
Mrs.  Hautonville 
La  Petite  Bertha 


To  conclude  with,  for  the  first  and  only  time,  Mitchell's  successful  farce, 
performed  at  the  Olympic  Theatre,  New  York,  seventy-three  nights, 
entitled 

A  LADY  AND  GENTLEMAN  IN  A  PECULIARLY  PERPLEXING 
PREDICAMENT. 


A  Gentleman,  first  appearance  in  that  character, 


Mr.  Lewis 


A  Lady, 
Landlady, 
A  Voice,    - 
A  Coat  Sleeve, 
A  Dog, 


Mrs.  Hautonville 

Mrs.  Kemble 

by  -  -         A  Voice 

-    by  -      A  Sleeve  of  a  Coat 

by  The  greatest  Puppy  in  Providence 


Private  Boxes,  each  seat  $1,  may  be  taken  by  parties  of  five  or  upwards. 
Dress  Circle,  75  cts.  Second  Tier  or  Family  Circle,  50  cts.  Pit,  37i  cts. 
Gallery  for  colored  persons,  25  cts. 

Doors  open  at  half-past  6  precisely,  and  performances  will  commence  at  7. 

The  box-office  will  be  open  daily  from  10  till  1,  and  2  to  4  o'clock,  where 
private  boxes,  tickets  and  places  may  be  taken  of  Mr.  Foster. 


INDEX. 


Abbey,  Henry  E.,  17-4,  226. 
Abbott,  Emma,  226,  231,  254. 
Adams,  C.  A.,  150. 
Adams,  Edwin,  183,  188,  204,  211,  212, 

234. 
Adams,  J.  F.,  132,  134. 
Adams,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  F.,  149. 
Adams,  Rebecca,  li>9. 
Aiken,  Albert,  187,  188,  200. 
Aimee,  Mile.,  200,  222,  240,  242. 
Albaugh,  J.  W.,  202,  203. 
Albee,  E.  F.,  277. 
A  Id  rich,  Lizzie,  203. 
Aldrich,  Louis,  175,  180,  181,  183,  200, 

215,  226,  234,  238,  247. 
Allen,  Andrew  J.,  46,  140. 
Allen,  J.  II.,  270. 
Allen,  Leslie,  184,  200. 
Allen,  Paul,  27,  35,  46. 
Allen,  Viola,  245. 
Allison,  J.  M.,  196,266. 
Allyn,  Mr.,  8. 

Amateur  Dramatic  Club,  271. 
Anderson,  J.  B.,  155. 
Anderson,    Mary,   217,  21K,   224,    225. 

220,  232,  241,  24ti. 
Andrews,  Isabella,  150,  155,  161. 
Angell,  S.  Henry,  197. 
Anthony,  Alfred,  197,  268. 
Anthony,  Frederick,  270. 
Anthony,  George,  270. 
Arden,  Edwin,  258,  260. 
Arizona  Joe,  240. 
Armstrong.  Sydney,  245. 
Arnold's  History,  (i. 
Arnold,  W.  A.,  148,  163. 
Arnott,  Louise,  245. 
Ashton,  dark,  242. 
A -1 1 ton,  J.  L.,  203. 
Atwell,  Amos  I/.,  65. 
Atwell,  Col.  S.  S.,  106. 
Atwell,  Samuel  Y.,  65. 
Austin,  Carrie  and  Charles,  21 1. 
Aveling,  Henry,  260. 

Bailey,  Belle,  207,  267. 
Bailey,  Hannah,  181. 
Bailey,  Josie,  210. 
Bainbridge,  C.  D.,  214. 

19 


Baker,  Emily,  215. 
Baker  and  Farron,  202,  2 

237,  239. 
Ball.  Charles  Edward,  122. 
Ball.m.  Seth,  121, 
Bandmann.  I ».  K  .  188, 
Bangs,  Frank,  201,  210,  213,  215, 
Barker,  Henry  A.,  273,  J74. 
Barker.  Robert  L.,  274. 
Barrett,  George, 
Barrett,  Lawrence,  188,  200,  208,211, 

217.  225,  231,  232,  234,  236,  241,  245, 

249,251,  258. 
Barrett,  Wilson,  245. 
Barnabee,  II.  «'.,  209, 
Barron,  Charles,  169. 
Barrow,  Julia  Bennett,  168. 
Barry,  Mrs.  Thomas,  239, 241, 24 

252,  275. 
Barry,  William, 

258. 
Barrymore,  Maurice, 
Bascomb,   II.   I...   177,   180,   1»  , 

203,  263.  266. 
Bateman,  Ellen,  148,  L50. 
Bateman,  Kate,  us,  150 
Bates,  Marie,  201. 
Bate.,  Mark,  214. 
Bate<.  William,  34,  13 

I,  Cliai'le-.  170,   1-  I 

Beattfe,  E.  W.,  169. 
Beckwith,  A 

I.  V,  210,  215. 
Bellmore,  Stella,  227. 
Bennett  and  Moulton, 
Bennett.  J  . 

•  Fi ly, 

Bernard,  John,  7. 
Bernhardt,  5 
Bldwell,  Dollle,  i 
Black,  David  <  I  . 
Blake,  Charles,  Prefn 
Blake.  W.  R 
Blancliard,  I 

Blind  T 

Blodger,  S  C  .  Ji 

I    Win.  r  . 

i;i fu i.  [Inn 


290 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


Bond,  Jessie,  223. 
Boniface,  George  C,  240,  252. 
Booth,  Agnes,  173,  177,  184,  215. 
Booth,  Edwin,  154,  181,  182,  184,  ISP, 

201,  204,  215,  231,  232,  234,  23!),  249, 

251,  254,  258. 
Booth,   Junius  Brutus,  85,  100,  107, 

108,  132,  133,  134,  135,  136,  148,  149, 
Booth,  J.  B.,  Jr.,  201. 
Booth,  J.  Wilkes,  103,  165,  109,  180. 
Borry,  Etelka.  232. 
Bos-worth,  Frank,  154. 
Boucicault,  Dion,  205,  226,  232,   238, 

245. 
Bowen,  Col.  Epliraim,  40. 
Bowen,  H.  B.,  271. 
Bowen,  Nellie  Morant,  197,  203. 
Bowers,  Mrs.  D.  P.,  170,  178,  187,  211, 

234,  252. 
Bowser,  Charles,  275. 
Bradbury,  E.  W.,  146. 
Braham,  John,  275. 
Branson,  Phil,  244. 
Bratz  Brothers,  249. 
Brent,  Eva,  182. 
Brignoli,  Signor,  167, 174, 180, 181, 183, 

187,  200,  211. 
Bristol,  Professor,  242. 
Brocolini,  Signor,  225,  244. 
Brooks,  G.  v.,  149. 
Brougham,  John,  177,  178,  183,  186, 

188. 
Brown,  Arthur  L.,  271. 
Brown,  John  Carter,  197,  268. 
Brown,  Mrs.  Sedley,  184. 
Brown  University  Minstrels,  254, 259. 
Browne,  J.  H.,  109. 
Browne,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  169. 
Brownell,  Francis  S.,  197,  205,  208. 
Brownell,  W.  A.,  273. 
Bryant,  Jennie,  203. 
Bryant,  William  Cullen,  107. 
Bryton,  Frederick,  201,  245.  247. 
Buchanan,  McKean,  149, 158, 170,  173, 

182,  183. 
Buckingham,  Fanny  Louise,  252. 
Buckingham,  Joseph  Tinker,  116. 
Budworth,  J.  H.,  205. 
Buffalo   Bill,   200,  205,  200,   210,  211, 

217,  220,  234,  238. 
Bugbee,  James  H.,  270. 
Bull,  Ole,  183,  185. 
Buntline,  Ned,  205. 
Burges,  Tristam,  52,  53. 
Burgess,  Neil,  226,  231,  233,  240,  252. 
Burke,  Charles.  256. 
Burke,  lone,  203. 
Burke,  Master,  110,  111. 
Burns,  T.  H.,  183,  180,  187. 
Burnside,  Jean,  201. 
Burr,  Aaron,  32. 
Burrough,  J.  Gustavus,  140. 


Burroughs,  Win.  F.,  175, 170,  183, 193, 
197,  207,  208,  203,  200,  207. 

Burrows,  J.,  203. 

Bart,  Fanny,  187. 

Butler,  William,  197,  208. 

Byron,  Oliver  D.,  188,  200,  205,  233, 
237,  252. 

Caldwell,  James  H.,  94,  106. 
Calef,  Jennie,  248,  252,  275. 
Callender,  Harry,  '-41. 
Cameron,  Isadore,  197,  201,  203,  261, 

262,  264,  266. 
Cameron,  Victoria,  203,  262. 
Campbell,  Bartley.  225. 
Campbell,  J.  G.,  188. 
Capoul,  Victor,  200. 
Carle,  Alice,  244. 
Carleton,  William,  204. 
Carncross  and  Dixey,  215. 
Carpenter,  Albert  G.,  273. 
Carroll,  William,  240. 
Carson,  Emma,  227. 
Carson,  Kit,  Jr.,  210. 
Gary,  Annie  Louise,  187,  200,  217. 
Cary,  Mary,  186. 
Castle,  William,  210. 
Castleton,  Kate,  242. 
Caufman,  A.,  231. 
Cavendish,  Ada,  226. 
Cavendish,  Laura,  176. 
Chambers,  Augusta,  215. 
Chanfrau,  F.  S.,  149,  158,  170, 183,  180, 

201,  202,  204,  211,  224,231,  232,  238. 
Chanfrau,  Henry,  240,  248,  252,  275. 
Chanfrau,  Mrs.  F.  S.,  204,  238. 
Chace,  William  C,  227. 
Chapman,  W.  B.,  148. 
Chrystal,  J.,  203. 
Church,  Lottie,  275. 
Churchill,  Professor,  223. 
Clatlin,  Tennie  C,  206. 
Clapp,    Mr.,     Records     of     Boston 

Stage,  9. 
Clark,  George,  88. 
Clarke,  Eugene,  223. 
Clarke,  Henry  C,  197. 
Clarke,  H.  G.,  170,  188,  206. 
Clarke,  J.  S.,  176. 
Clarke  Marland,  275. 
Clarke,  William  J  ,  270. 
Claxton,  Kate,  217,  226,  231,   233,  237, 

242,  245,  247.  259. 
Clay,  Cecil,  241. 
Clay,  Lily,  249. 
Clemence,  Mark,  272. 
Clifton,  Josephine,  140, 141. 
Cline,  Heir,  148. 
Cluer,  Susie,  177. 
Coghlan,  Rose,  242,  243,  245,  249,  250, 

253. 
Collier^  E.  K.,  211,  275. 


PROVIDENCE  MACK. 


29I 


Collier,  James  W.,  173. 

Connell,  P.  F.,  200. 

Conway.  Hart,  214. 

Conway,  William  Augustus,  95,  96, 

97,  98,  99. 
Cooke,  George  Frederick,  00,  61,  <;•_', 

63,  64,  05,  (56,  (37,  68,  69,  70,    71,  72, 

85,  P»5. 
Cooke,  Rosa,  176. 
Coombs,  Ada  Byron,  231,  276. 
•Coombs,  Jane,  169,  200,  204. 
Cooper,  Thomas  II.,  33,  78,  79,  114. 
Corev  Fannie,  27(>. 
Corinne,  184,  226,  231,  252,  257,  275. 
Cotter,  Frank,  203,  2117.  267. 
Conldock,  C.  W.,  163,  242. 
Cowell,  Joseph,  102,  103,  148, 
Cowper,  John  C,  213. 
Crampton,  Charlotte,  153,  201. 
Crane,  William   II.,  217,  224,  225,  226, 

231,  233,  237,  23<i,  242,  247,  248,  267. 
Crisp,  W.  H.,  214,  224. 
Crocker,  Viola,  166. 
Cromwell,  Professor,  242. 
Crossen,  J.  F.,  248. 
Cruise,  Annie,  155. 
Cubas,  Isabelle,  167. 
Curtis,  M.  B.,  246. 
Cushing,  W.  J.,  276. 
(ashman  Charlotte,  140,149,  159,  165, 

197,  201,  234. 
Cushman,  Pauline,  182. 

Daboll,  W.  S.,  208,  271,  27G. 

Dailey,  Albert,  269. 

Dalv.  Augustin,  214.  21G,  217,  225,  227, 

277. 
Daly,  II.  F.,  186. 
Dalv,  Thomas,  2:;7.  241. 
Danforth,  Walter  li..  145. 
Daniels,  Frank.  217.  260. 
Darling,  Mr.   and  Mrs.   John,  45,  16. 
Darling,  Bessie,  209. 
Darling,  John  <  >.,  272. 
Davene  and  Austin,  239. 
Davenport  Dramatic  Club,272. 

Davenport,  E.  L.,  127,  152,  151.  155, 
lull,  168,  Hi'.',  17),  17i;,  L81,  182,  L83, 
L86,  L87,  '-'"1,  211,  270. 

Davenport,  Fanny.  17.;.  171,  217,  223, 
225,    231,    240,    211.    215,     217,    251. 

262. 
Davenport,  Mrs.  E.  I...  L86. 
Davidson,  Dore,  250. 
Davis,  Charles  P..  227,233,  237. 
Davis,  Edmund.  197,  268. 
Davis,  Jeffrey,  271. 
Davis,  William  D,  197. 
Dawes,  Gertrude,  1 18. 
D'Costa,  A.  V.,  270. 
Dean,  Julia,  150. 
De Belleville,  Frederick,  217. 


Delaro,  Elma,  244. 
Deiuing  Morris, 
Dennis,  William  B.,  270. 
I  •c-nier,  Tony,  231,  2  17 
I ►eiiin,  Kate  ami  Susan,  150. 
I  lerious,  Lizzie,  237. 

Dexter.  A.  11.,  241. 

Dickens,  Charles, 
Dickinson,  Anna.  172. 
Dickson.  James  A.,  81,  83, 

I  Met/..  Linda.  211. 

Diuneford,  William,  100,  i"i,  106,  110, 

117. 
Dinsmore,  <».  a.,  186. 
Dinwiddie,  Goveruoi , 
Dixey.  II.  ]•'..,  246,  249,  250, 
1  )on,  I. aura,  214. 
Don,  William,  150. 
Donaldson,  W.  A..  176,    196,  203,  264, 

266. 
Donnelly  and  Girard,  25:1. 
Douglas,  David,  2,  5.  6,  7,  8,  '.'.  12,  16. 
Douglas,  Mrs., '.'.  10,  17. 

I  >OV\  .   Ada.  2lo,  257. 

Dow  ling,  J.  .1..  237. 

Downing,  Robert  i.  .  22:.. 

Doyle,  Mayor,  172.  194,  224. 

Doyle,  Minnie,  266. 

Drake,  Blaster  Alexander,  117 

Drew,  Charles  H.,276. 

Drew,  Frank-,  Ml,  IT' 

Drew,  John.  148,  149,  150,  155,  1 

1  M'ew,  Mrs.  John,  150. 

Dull.  James,  176. 

Duff,  John,  105. 

Dull.  Mr-.  Mary,  76,  169. 

Dunn,  John,  150,  161,  169. 

Duple/.,  <'.  IP, 

Duval,  Marie  Leon,  200 

Dyas,  Ada.  232. 

Dyer,  Elisha,  dr..  271 

Eddy,  Albert  <'..  197. 
Eddy,  Clinton, 
Eddy,  Esek,  66 
Eddy.  .lame..  197 

in,   Willie.  •J27,  2 
Edwin,  I.ina,  188. 

Millie,  210. 
Ellis,  C.T.,  252. 
Ellsler,  Effle,  241 

1.  Fanny, 
Ellsler,  John,  234,  246, 
Elmore,  Marlon, 
Elswortln ,  a 
Emmet,  Oracle, 
Emmet,  .1.  K  .  1-:.  1 

232,  2 
Emmett,  Katie,  200 
Entwistle,  dan.. 
Ethel,  Agnes,  1*1 
US,  Fiank.  1-7.   2 


292 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


Evans,  Lizzie,  275. 
Evans,  Tellula,  273, 
Everett,  Nellie,  234. 
Eytinge,  Hairy,  154. 
Eytiuge,  Pearl,  231. 
Eytinge,  Rose,  170,  17G,   184,  213,  231, 
238. 

Fairbrother,  Henry,  197, 268. 

Farnswortli,  John,  273. 

Farron,  Mrs.,  152,  154. 

Fawcett,  Owen,  214. 

Fay,  Hugh,  231,  233,  237,  242,  245,  254, 

258. 
Fechter,  Charles,  215,  234. 
Felch,  Stanley,  276. 
Fanno,  A.  W.,  169. 
Field,  Kate,  208,  272. 
Fielding,  Henry,  118,  119. 
Finn,  Henry  J.,  87, 88,  89, 96,  125, 132, 

161. 
First  Theatre  in  Providence,  12. 
Fisher,  C.  B.  J.,  100. 
Fisher,  Charles,  184. 
Fisher,  Clara,  100,  101, 109, 131,  166. 
Fisher,  Kate,  182,  185,  202,  204. 
Fiske,  Moses,  216,  223. 
Flint,  Mrs.  W.  W.,  273,  274. 
Florence,  W.  J.,  161,    169,   176,   181, 

184,  200,  215,  226,  234,  254,  255,  236, 

257. 
Flynn,  Thomas,  131. 
Forbes,  William  C,  147,  148,  151,  155, 

158,  159,  160,  161,  176. 
Forbes,  Mrs.  William  C,  147,  152,  155. 
Ford,  John  T.,  234. 
Forepaugli,  Adam,  Jr.,  254. 
Formes,  Karl,  188. 
Forrest,  Edwin,  90,  138,  141,  151,  152, 

155,  173,  184,  234. 
Forrester,  Maud,  226, 
Fostelle,  Charles,  233. 
Foster,  Evelyn,  240. 
Foster,  Hernandez,  204. 
Foster,  Minnie,  184. 
Founder  of  American  Stage,  1. 
Fox,  George  L.,  146,  184,  198,  205,  207, 

209,  213. 
Fox,  James  A.,  146. 
Fiance,  Shirley,  183,  200. 
Frayne,  Frank  L,  213,  231,  233,  252. 
Fredericks,  C,  169. 
Frohman,  Charles  and  Daniel,  277. 
Frieze,  Lyman  B.,  197. 
Fritcli,  Letitia,  233. 
Frothingham,  George,  244. 
Fuller,  B.,  169. 
Fuller,  James  F.,  262. 
Furbish,  C.  H.,  262. 

Gardner,  O  A.,  248. 


Gardner,  Rathbone,  271. 

Garrick,  David,  1,  33. 

Gaylord,  Bobby,  259. 

Gay  lord,  Julia,  203. 

Germon,  G.  C,  146. 

Germon,  Nellie,  182. 

Gibbs,  George,  6. 

Gilbert,  G.  H.,184. 

Gilbert,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.,  146. 

Gilbert,  John,  159,  165. 

Gilbreth,  Annie  M.,  273. 

Gillette,  W.  H.,  231,  247,  237. 

Gilinan,  Ada,  214. 

Gilmore,  P.  S.,  248. 

Glenn,  S.  W.,  165. 

Goddard,  Moses  B.  I.,  197.    . 

Godfrey,  E.  K.,  270. 

Golden,  Richard,  257. 

Goldthwaite,  Dora,  200. 

Goldthwaite,  T.,  186. 

Gomersal,  Mrs.  Win.,  175. 

Goodrich,  E.  F.,  154. 

Goodwin,  N.  O,  217,  220, 237,  249,  251. 

Gougli,  John  B.,  128. 

Gourlay,  John,  240. 

Grace,  J.  D.,  149,  184,  188. 

Graham,  R.  E.,  244. 

Grange,  Annie  de  la,  180,  181,  183. 

Granger,  Maude,  213. 

Gray,  Ada,  182,  207,  233, 246,  248. 

Gray,  Blanche,  184. 

Gray,  Minnie  Oscar,  260. 

Greene,  F.  B.,  271. 

Greene,  G.  H.,  141. 

Grev,  Alice,  158,  214. 

Griffin,  John  D.,233. 

Griffith,  G.  H.,  155, 162. 

Griffiths,  W.  N.,  154. 

Grinnell,  Mrs.  Frederick,  271. 

Grover,  Leonard,  170. 


Hablemann,  Theodore,  188 
Haclcett,    George,    227,  229,  237,  239, 

241,  266. 
Hackett,  J.  H.,  169,  175. 
Hall,  J.  F.,  184. 
Hall,  JolmL.,  188,  200. 
Hall,  Pauline,  258. 
Hallam,  Master  A.,  9. 
Hallam,  Lewis,  3,  4,  8,9,  10. 
Hallam,  Win.,  2,  3,  4,  9. 
Hallan  and  Plait,  257,  260. 
Heller,  Robert,  175. 
Halsey,  T.  L.,  54,  55,56,64. 
Hamblin,  Thomas  S.,  120,  121. 
Hamilton,  Mi>s,  2. 
Hammer  and  Tongs  Society,  272. 
Hancock,  Governor,  20,  21. 
Handv.  U.  F.,  276. 
Hanley,  J.  G.,  149. 


PROVIDENCE     STAGE. 


293 


Hanlon  Brothers,  175,  181,  231,  233, 

237,  258. 
Hardenburg.  F.,  150,101, 175,  177. 
Hardieand  Von  Leer,  260. 
Harkins,  1).  H.,  214. 
Harland,  Ada,  184. 
Harper,   Joseph,  20,  22,  23.  24,  27,  28, 

20,  40,  41.  42,  114,  116. 
Harrigan,  E.,  209,  210,  215,  225,  232. 
Harrington,  Charles  X.,  172. 
Harris,  Amelia,  187. 
Harris,  Anita  L..  187,  197,  263,  2G6. 
Harris,  Lin  \V.,  200. 
Harris,  Win.,  214. 
Harris,  Win.,  Manaqer,  242. 
Harrison,  Alice,  240,  247,  252. 
Harrison,  Louis,  240. 
Harold.  Lizzie,  237. 
Hart,  John,  119. 
Hart,  Josh,  226. 
Hart,  Katie,  259. 
Hart,    Tony,    209,  210,  215,  225,  242, 

245. 
Harwood.  Harry,  207,  210,  2G7,  268. 
Haskins  Dramatic  Club,  272. 
Hastings,  A.  H.,  215. 
Hatton,  J.  L.,  174. 
Hank.  Minnie,  231. 
Haverly,  J.  H. ,  225,  229,  233,  237. 
Haworth,  Joseph,  245,  246. 
Ilavne,  Julia  Dean,  117. 
Hazard,  John,  120. 
Hazard,  John  G.,  270. 
Hemple,  Sam,  171. 
Henderson,  Ettie,  170,  186,  204,  217, 

262,  264. 
Henderson,  Win.,  192.  19.",.   104,  107, 

207,  208,  210,  211,  213,  214,  215,  '-'If,, 

217,  220,  264.  265,  268. 
Henshaw  and  Ten  Broeck,  259. 
Heine,  James  A.,  231. 
Heron,  Matilda,  169. 
Herring,  Fanny,  163, 187. 
Hersee,  Kose,  186,  187. 
Berrmann,  227,  2:::;,  247,  2.-.I. 
Hickey,  S.M.,227. 
Bidden,  H.  A.,  197 
Hill,  James,  273. 
Hill,  J.  M.,  277. 
Hilson,  Thomas,  112. 
Binckley,  Isabella,  167. 
Hitchcock,  Minnie,  271. 
Hodgkinson,  John,  28,  29,  31,  33,  34. 
Boffllian,  Edward,  215,  224. 
Hi, lines,  J.,  100. 

Holt,  Elise,  184. 

Honey,  George,  209,  211,  213. 

Hopkins,  John  D.,  274. 
Hopper,  De  Wolf,  2*26. 
Hoppin,  Howard,  272. 
Howard,  Bronson,  201. 


Howard.  Charles  T.,  206,  •Jo:',  214. 

Howard,  Cordelia,  154, 

Howard,  George  A.,  151. 

Howard,  <;.  C,  14o.  154. 

Howard,  Mrs   <;.  <'..  154,  1-4,  1-7.  L88, 

200,  'Jo:,.  207,  231. 
Howe,  John,  270.  J71. 
Howland,  Ada,  200. 
Howland,  Harry,  169. 
Howland,  Lottie,  169. 
Kowson,  Frank,  1:'  '. 

Hudson,  I 177,  200. 

Hugo,  Victor,  228. 
Hutchinson,  Dr.  \V.  F 

Ince,  John  E.,203. 
[ngersoll.  Col    R.  <;.,  223,  225. 
Irving,  Henry,  237,  238. 

Jackson,  Andrew  W.,  111. 

.lame-,.   Louis,  215,  24:,. 

Jamieson,  <  lenrge,  10:;. 
Janausehek,  Fanny,  199,207,214,217, 

2:;j,  233,  237. 
Janish.  240. 

Jarbeau,  Vernona,  231,  J47.  257 
Jarrett,  II.  C,  168. 
Jefferson.  Joseph,  188,  205.  217,  224, 

2J0,  230,  231,232.  234,  237,  J4\  249, 

251,  254,  255,  256. 
Jeffreys,  Ida,  215. 
Jenckes,  Daniel,  12. 
.leweti,  Sara,  215,  224 
Johnston,  liobert,  LG  • 
Jones,  Emily.  271. 

Jones,  Melinda,  1  1 9 
Jones,  Nellie,  203. 

.1, s,  N.  D..  181. 

Jordan,  Eliza,  184. 
.Ionian,  Elllilj  ,181. 
Jordan,  George,  215. 

Joyce,  I. aura.  I 
Jo;  ce,  Thomas,  139. 
Julian 

Karl,  Tom,  211. 

Keach,  Edward  Prank,  L39,  L40,  148, 

1  .1 

Kean.  <'harle>.   I 

Kean,  Edmund, 6't 
Keefe,  J  ,  L69. 
Keene,  A  rthur,  102 
.  Keene,  Laura,  169,  L73,  175,   I" 
184 
Keene.  T,  W.,  2 

154. 
Keith.  W.  V  .  249,  2 
Prof.,24H, 
Kellogg,  Clara  Louise.  174 

186,  188,  204,  21 
Kemble,  Charles 


294 


HISTORY     OF     THE 


Kemble,  Frankie,  247. 

Kemble,  John  Philip,  7,  31,  124. 

Kemble,  Stephen,  31. 

Kendall,  Hiram,  273,  274. 

Kernel!,  Harry,  238. 

Kernell,  John,  238,  260. 

Kershaw,  2. 

Ketchum,  George,  1GS. 

Kilner,  Thomas  95. 

Kimball,  Jennie,  184. 

Kinloek,  Miss  G.,  155,  162. 

Kiralfy   Brothers,  239. 

Knight,  George  S.,  180,  223,  226,  231, 

232,  239,  240,  242. 
Knowles,  E.  F.,  215. 
Knowles,  Frank,  270. 
Kranz,  A.  G.,  273,274. 
Kruger,  Jacques,  239. 

Lacy,  Harry,  249,  251,  275. 

Lambele,  Mile.,  182. 

Laniont,  Helen,  244. 

Lander,  Mrs.  F.  W.,  177,  181,183,269. 

Lane,  Louise,  102. 

Langley,  Georgie,  215. 

Langtry,  Mrs.,  232,  233,  249,  252. 

Lardner,  Dr.,  80. 

Larned,  K.  M.,  172. 

Leavitt,  M.  B.,  227,  229. 

Leclercq,  Carlotta,  201,  204. 

Lee,  Harrv,  252. 

Leffingweil,  M.  W.,  182,  188. 

Legg,  Joseph,  80. 

Le  Moyne,  W.  J.,  175. 

Leone,  Emma,  169. 

Leopolds,  The,  210. 

Leslie  C,  70. 

Leslie,  Elsie,  259. 

Lester  and  Allen,  242. 

Levick,  Milnes,  211. 

Levy,  Jules,  187. 

Lewis,  Carrie,  273. 

Lewis,  Catherine,  223,  225. 

Lewis,  James,  181. 

Lewis,  Jeffreys,  214,  231. 

Lewis,  Lilian,  242. 

Lilley,  L.  Edith,  274. 

Lilliputian  Opera  Company,  224. 

Lindon,  H.,  150. 

Lingard,  Alice  Dunning,  184, 187, 188, 

233. 
Lingard,  Wm.  Horace,  184,  187,  188, 

206,  209,  217,  233. 
Lingham,  Matt.,  224. 
Lion  Theatre,  126. 
Lippitt,  Christopher,  197. 
Lippitt,  Henry,  192,  194,  197,  268. 
Lippitt.  H.  F.,  271. 
Lisle,  Rose,  211,  226. 
Litta,  Louise,  275. 
Littlefield,  John  A.,  132,  145. 


Little  Nell,  200,  205. 

Locke,  G.  E„  155,  170,    182,  185,  200 

214. 
Loftus,  Victoria.  226. 
Logan,  Celia,  232,  233. 
Logan,  Eliza,  154. 
Logan,  Olive,  176 
Lothrop,  Dr.  G.  E.,  276,  277. 
Lotta,  175,  176,  178.  179,  184,  188,  205, 

216,  217,  224,  225,  226,  229,  232,  239, 

247,  249,  250,  258. 
Low,  Wm.  H.,  222,  223,  225,  227,  233, 

237,  239,  240,  242,  245,  248,  249. 
Lucca,  Pauline,  201,  204. 
Lucette,  Mile.,  275. 

Mabel,  Nellie,  266. 
Maeauley,  Barney,  225. 
Macfarland,  A.,  165. 
Mackay,  Jolm  A.,  218.  . 
Mackaye,  Steele,  224. 
Macready,  Mrs.,  188,  200. 
Maddern,  Minnie,  207,  239. 
Maeder,  James  Gasper,  102,  117,  129, 

131,  132,  141. 
Maginley,  Ben,  275. 
Mahon,  Lizzie,  207,  208,  267,  268. 
Mansfield,  Richard,  245. 
Mantell,  Robert  B.,  233,  240,  247,  254. 
Manton,  Walter,  270. 
Marble,  Ed.,  154. 
Marble,  Dan,  132. 
Marie,  Alice,  203. 
Markham,  Pauline,  233. 
Markland,  James  G.,  269,  270,  271. 
Marlowe,  Julia,  249,  251. 
Marlowe,  Owen,  169,  184,  213. 
Marsh,  Fannie,  169. 
Marshall,  Wyzeman,  138, 148,  150,  154. 
Mars  ton,  Richard,  193. 
Mason,  Dan,  233,  252,  260,  275. 
Mason,  Earl  P.,  197,  268. 
Mason,  E.  Philip,  271. 
Mather,  Margaret,  232,  234,  237,   239, 

241,  245,  247,  249,  251,  254,  258. 
Maubury,  Charles,  238. 
Mauran,  Clinton,  271. 
Mauran,  John  T.,  197,  268. 
Mayo,  Edwin  F.,  252. 
Mavo,  Frank,  175,  181,  182,   183,  188, 

200,  204,  208,  217,  224,  225,  226,  230, 

231,  238,  246,  254. 
McAuley,  B.,  231,  233,  238. 
McBride,  Cecilia,  94,  96. 
McBride,  Mary  Ann,  93,  94,  95. 
McCloskey,  J.  J.,  200. 
McCormack,  Loudon,  242. 
McCullough,  John,  154,  173,  190,  209, 

212,  216,  225,  233,  246. 
McDowell,  Melbourne,  174. 
McGuinness,  D.  J.,  184,  200,  237. 


PROVIDENCE    STAG]  . 


295 


McHenry,  Nellie,  260. 

McWade,  Robert,  205. 

Meda,  Blanche,  224, 

Meeker,  W.  H.,  148. 

Melmer,  H..  186. 

Melville,  Belle,  215. 

Melville,  Eniilie,  222. 

Menken,  Adah  Isaacs,  164. 

Mestayer,  C,  148. 

Mestayer,  Emily,  148,  168,  184. 

Mestayer,  L..  168. 

Miles,  K.  E.  J.,  165. 

Miller,  Augustus  S.,  271. 

Mills,  S.  B.,  174. 

Millwood,  H.,  203. 

Milner,  Annie,  159,  104. 

Miner,  Harry,  227. 

Mitchell,  Henry  P.,  215. 

Mitchell,  Maggie,  154,  155,   158,   163, 

169,  174,  176, 183,  184,  186,  187,  188, 

192,  200,  202,  205,  209,  210,  214,  217, 

224,  226,  229,  231,  232,  234,  239,241, 

245,  249.  251,  253,  258. 
Mitchell,  Mary,  163,  202. 
Mitchell,  Mason,  257. 
Modjeska,  Mine.,  224,   232,  245,  249, 

254,  255. 
Monroe  and  Rice,  248,  260. 
Monroe,  President,  (>">. 
Monk,  Ada,  197,  262,  266. 
Montague,  H.  J.,  215. 
Montague.  Winnetta,  201. 
Montegriffo,  233. 

Montez,  Lola,  149,  155,  156,  157,  158. 
Moody,  1,  2, 
Moore,  Bella,  242. 
Moore,  Louise,  187. 
Moore,  Thomas,  76. 
Morant,  Fanny,  215. 
Mordecai.  Isabella,  109. 
Morgan,  Mrs..  227,  233,  276. 
Morlaechi,  211. 
Moreland.  W.  W.,  197. 
Monis,  Clara,  204,  217,  241,  247,   249, 

251. 
Morris,  Mr.,  2,  7,  8. 
Morris,  George  P.,  94. 
Morrison,  Lewi-,  215,  244. 
Morrow,  Robert,  241,  242,  247,  249,  266, 

274. 
Morse,  Amanda,  269. 
Morse,  Louisa,  169,  L81,  184,  269. 
Morse,  Mary,  269. 
Mosher,  Miss  F.  E.,  274, 
Mowatt,  Anna  C,  L50,  196. 
Mulholland,  J.  B.,  273. 
Murdock,  Harry,  184,  200,  213. 
Murdock,  .1.  E.,  148,  232, 
Muriel,  Constance,  231, 
Murphy,  Francis,  223. 


Murpliv,  Joseph,   188,  217.   224.  227, 
231,  233,  237,  239,  241.  245,  24H,  247, 

2^2,  254. 

Murray,  Dominick,  240. 
Murray.  John,  170,  188,  200,  205,  226 
Myers,  Flora,  185,  2o7. 
Myers,  J.  C,  164,  165,  168. 

Neilson,  Adelaide,  201,  202,  234, 

Nickerson,  A.  S.,274. 

Nickerson,  S.  W.,  271. 

Nightingale,  Wm.  G..  271. 

Nilsson.  Christine,  187,  200,  204. 

Noah,  M.  M..  94. 

Noah,  Rachael,  177,  181,  182,  183,  200. 

Nobles,  Milton,  222. 

Norman,  H.  B.,  207,  210. 

Norris,  Clara,  205. 

Norris,  Mrs.,  8. 

Nourse,  I).,  169. 

Nourse,  Mrs.  D.,  169. 

Nutt,  Commodore,  200. 

Gates,   Mrs.,   187,   202,  204,  207,   210. 

217,  225. 
Ogden,  R.  Dorsey,  201. 
Old  Play  Bills,  24,  25,  279.  280,  281,282, 

283,  284,  285,  286,  287,  288. 
Olcott,  Lilian.  245,  248. 
O'Neill,  James,  215,  232,  234.  235,  237, 

239,  242,  245,  247,  249,  250. 

Opening  of  City  Hall,  172. 
Opening  of  Low's  Opera  House,  222. 
Opening  of  Pine  .Street  Theatre,  163. 
( opening  of  Providence  Opera  House. 

192. 
Opening  of  Providence  Theatre,  27 
Opening  of  Shakspeare  Hall,  130. 
O'Reilly,  Dennis,  185,  L87,  204. 
Orton,  Josie,  168,  170. 
Osborne,  Fannie,  240. 
Overton,  238. 
Owens,  JohnE.,  168,  L69,  L76,  L88,  202, 

217,  238. 
Oxley,  J.,  155. 

Packard,  George,  274. 
Padelford,  Edward,  119. 
Padgett,  J.  C,  207,  20C 
Paige,  Benjamin,  •".">. 
Palmer,  A.  M  ,  235,  '-'77. 
Palmer,  D.  S.,  148,  L55,   L57 
Palmer,  Minnie,  226,227,  239 
Parepa,   Mile.,   172,   L74,  180,  i- 

186,  197 
Pardey,  H.  O.,  148,  150. 
Park  Garden,  27:..  276, 
Parsloe,  Charles  T.,  L75,  186,  188,  205, 

21  I.  22o.  234 
Partello,  W.  II     I 


296 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


Pastor,  Tony,  172,  188,  200,  205,  207, 

212,  217,  221,  224,  226,  229,  23.!,  233, 

237,  240. 
Pateman,  Bella,  201. 
Pattl,  Carlotta,  185. 
Paul,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard,  177, 181, 

186. 
Paulding,  Frederick,  226. 
Fauncefort,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.,  158. 
Payne,  A.  D.,  272. 
Payne,  John  Howard,  37. 
Peakes,  Henry,  168,  175,  210. 
Pearson,  Harry,  186. 
Pearson,  Jennie,  186. 
Pennoyer,  M.   A.,   203,  207,  208,  210, 

267,  268. 
Perkins,  Thomas,  89. 
Phileo,  S.,  196,  266. 
Phillips,  Adelaide,  180,  187. 
Phillips,  Gus,  226,  227. 
Phillips,  Ida,  203, 
Phillips,  L aura,  224. 
Phillips,  Moses  J.,  104. 
Pitt,  C.  D.,  148. 
Pixley,  Annie,  223,  225,  226,  227,  231. 

233,  237,  242,  247,  249,  251,  253,  259. 
Placide,  Alice,  169. 
Placide,  H.,  23. 
Placide,  Jane,  91. 
Placide,  Thomas,  181. 
Plympton,  Eben,  245. 
Polk,  J.  B.,  184,  224,  242,  245,  252. 
Pomrov,  Louise,  275. 
Poole,  Clara,  200. 
Porter,  Nathan,  136. 
Porter,  Miss  E.  1).,  271. 
Powell,  Elizabeth,  88. 
Powell,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  31,  82,  83,  84, 

90. 
Power,  W.  H.,  210. 
Powers,  J.  T.,  258. 
Pratt,  Francis,  274. 
Prescott,  Marie,  226,  245. 
Preston,  Isabella,  197,  215,  263,  266. 
Preston,  W.  II.,  169. 
Price,  Mark,  196. 
Primrose,  George,  239,  259. 
Prior,  E.  C,  154,  155. 
Prior,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  J.,  154. 
Proctor,  Joseph,  148,  149, 152,  154, 155, 

158,  165,  177,  181,  182,  200,  2:;.;. 
Providence  Dramatic  Society,  269. 
Providence  Museum,  276. 
Pyne,  Louisa  and  Susan,  152, 153. 

Quarles,  Edward,  121,  122. 
Quelch,  Mr.,  8. 
Quinn  Maria,  158. 

Rainsford,  Milton,  196,  264. 
Rand,  Rosa.  211. 
Randall,  Horace  A.,  270. 


Rankin,  McKee,  217,  233,  252,  260. 

Rankin,  Mrs.,  252. 

Ransom,  Monte,  203. 

Raymond,  John  T.,  208,  211,  216,  217, 

225,  231,  233,  237- 
Raymond,  W.  C,  196,  266. 
Read,  Alfred,  197,  268. 
Redinund,  William,  239,  241,  246,  247, 

252,  275. 
Reed,  Roland,  237,  239. 
Reeves,  D.  W.,  237,  240. 
Reeves,  Fanny,  184. 
Rehan,  Ada,  i54,  214,  216. 
Rehan,  Arthur,  246,  247. 
Reignolds,    Kate,    169,  181,  184,  188, 

200. 
Reilly  and  Wood,  249,  260. 
Reynolds,  Georgianna,  169. 
Reynolds,  Win  H.,  197. 
Rhea,   Mlle„   232,   233,   234,   241,  247, 

258. 
Rice,  E.  E.,  221,  227,  232,  246. 
Rice,  T.  D.,  138,  148,  150. 
Richings,  Caroline,  169. 
Richmond,  Adah,  207,  215. 
Richmond  Theatre  Destroyed,  50. 
Rignold,  George,  209,  210,  217. 
Ringgold,  B.  'J.'.,  184,  214. 
Rising,  Will  S.,  244. 
Ristori,  Adelaide,  177,  178,  181,  182, 

209,  239. 
Ritchie,  Anna  Cora  Mowatt,  127. 
Roach,  J.  C,  248. 
Roberts,  J.  B.,  170,  204. 
Robinson,  John  C,  205. 
Robson,  Stuart,  169,  186,  187, 188,  214, 

217,  224,  225,  226,  231,  233,  237,  239, 

242,  247,  24S. 
Roche,  Frank.  184. 
Rockwell,  C.  H.,  184, 187. 
Rogers,  C,  169. 
Rogers,  Katherine,  213. 
Rois,  L.  P.,  150,  154. 
Roonev,  Pat,  226,  227,  234,  238,  246, 

275. 
Roosevelt  Blanche,  225. 
Rosa,  Carl,  174. 
Rosa,  Patti,  245. 
Rose,  Marie,  217. 
Rossi,  231. 

Rowe,  George  F.,  211. 
Runnion,  James  B.,  214. 
Russell,  Hattie,  154. 
Russell,  Henry  G.,  197. 
Russell,  R.  Fulton,  214. 
Russell,  Richard,  110. 
Russell,  Sol  Smith,  237,  239. 
Russell,  Thomas  B.,  140. 
Russell,  William  H.,  137. 
Ryan,  Addie,  172. 
Ryder,  James  B.,  273,  274. 
Ryley,  J.  H.,  225. 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 


297 


Salsbury,  Nate,  237. 

Salvini,  Alexander,  253,  257. 

Salvini,  Tomaso,  204,  205.232, 253,  255. 

bans  Souci  Garden,  274,  275. 

Saunders,  C.  H.,  140. 

Savage,  John,  118. 

Savory,  Ida,  186,  210. 

Sayles,  John  \V.,  242. 

Scanlan,  William  J.,  237,  251,  254. 

Scott,  J.  K.,  140,  150. 

Scott,  R.  G.,  154. 

Scott,  Rufus,  275. 

Seagraves,  Caleb,  107. 

Sefton,  John,  150,  158. 

Seguin,  Zelda,  187,  233. 

Shales,  Edward,  136. 

Shaw,  Mary,  254. 

Sheldon,  Mrs.  W.  P.,  203,210. 

Sheldon,  W.  P.,  196, 197,  203,  263,  266. 

Sheridan.  W.  E.,  201. 

Shirley,  John  R.,  275. 

Siddons,  Mrs.,  7. 

Siddons,  Mrs.  Scott,  183,  185,  186,  187, 

211,  223,  226. 
Simmons,  Mary,  271. 
Simpson,  Edward,  68. 
Sinclair,  Catherine  Norton,  92. 
Slater,  William  S.,  197,  268. 
Slaviansky,  Agreneff,  186. 
Smith  and  Lord,  249. 
Smith,  Noah,  66. 
Smith,  Samuel  J.,  88,  94. 
Smith,  Sid.  207,  267. 
Smith,  William  H.,  141. 
Snow.  Hattie,  184. 

Soldene,  Emily,  215,  226. 

Sothern,  K.  A.,  200,  206,  211,  215,  243. 

Sothern,  E.  H.,  247,  253.  259. 

Southworth,  S.S.,  114,  88,  ill,  112. 

Spear,  G.  J.,  L38. 

Springer,  S.  E.,215. 

Stanford,  Ella.  274. 

Stafford,  William,  240. 

Stalker,  Archie,  200,  209,  274. 

States,  Agatha,  184. 

St.  Clair,  Sallie,  L58. 

Stedman,  C.  A.,  L84,  L86,  210. 

Steere,  Henry  J.,  197,  268. 

Stetson,  E.  T.,  lTD.  188,  211. 

Stets Fohn,  209,  217,  231,  2:1:,.  sm, 

241,  244,  250,  254,  259,  277. 
Stevens,  John  A.    2-:;.  231,  2:;:;,   239, 

252,  257. 
Stevenson,  Charles  A.,  225. 
Stockton,  Fanny,  174. 
Stoddard,  .1.  II..  L81,  184,  20:;,  224. 
Stokes,  Martin  C,  197,  268. 
Stiidley,  J.  B.,  165,  226. 
Sullivan,  Barry,  210,  243. 
Sullivan.  E.  P.,  27.".. 
Sullivan,  John  L.,  244,  258. 


Sullivan,  Mark,  260. 
Sully,  Dan.  237,  242,  257. 
Swain,  Carrie,  233. 
Sweet,  Dr.,  231. 
Sydney,  G.,  159,  270,  271. 

Tagliapietra,  211. 

Talma  Club,  259.  272,  274. 

Tanner,  Cora,  249,  250. 

Tayleure,  Clifton  W.,  168,   175,   179, 

214. 
Taylor,  Bianchi,  84. 
Taylor,  Emma,  162. 
Taylor,  Harry,  187. 
Temple,  Helen,  205. 
Temple,  Rose,  224. 
Terry,  Ellen,  237. 
Tew,  Paul,  15. 
Texas  Jack,  211,  217. 
Thatcher,  George,  239,  258. 
Thayer,  Ann  Maria,  27. , 
Thayer,  Charles  H.,  227. 
Theatre  Comique,  274. 
Theo,  Mile.,  232,  233. 
Thomas,  Isaiah,  5. 
Thomas,  Theodore,  185,  187. 
Thompson,  Charlotte,  209,  211. 
Thompson,    Denman,    217,   224,    225, 

226,  229,  241,  245,  247. 
Thompson,  John,  200,  209. 
Thompson,  Lydia,  187,  188,   200,   204, 

205,  252. 
Thompson,  Lysander,  150. 
Thorne,  C.  R.,  177,  180,  181,  182,  183, 

186,  193,  202,  215,  225,  235. 
Thorne,  E.  F.,  203. 
Thumb,  (Jen.  Tom,  200,  233. 
Thurston,  B.  F.,  197,  268. 
Tilt  any.  Annie  Ward,  226,  258. 
Tilton.E.  L.,    169,  194,   197,   203,  210, 

263,  266. 
Tilton,  Theodore,  223. 
Tinker,  James,  _'74. 
Titiens,  Theresa,  200,211. 
Titus,  Tracy,  223. 
Tobey,  John  F..  271. 
Tracy.  Helen,  183,  L84, 

Tree,  Ell. 'II,  132. 

Treville,  Walter,  207,  208,  210,  267. 

Tostee,  L83. 
Tucker.  Ethel,  242. 
Tnrnbull,  Julia,  149. 
Tyrrell,  Mrs.  M.  A..  L54. 
Tyrrell,  T.  fid.,  L75,  L85. 

I'lmcr.   Lizzie  May.  231,  233,  2:(7  . 
Union  Dramatic  Club,  272. 
Upton,  2. 

Vaidis  Sisters,  249.  257. 
Vandenhoff,  George,  n*. 


298 


PROVIDENCE    STAGE. 


Van  Doren  Augusta,  248. 

Van  Zandt,  C.  C,  194. 

Van  Zandt,  Mrs.  Jennie,  210. 

Varrey,  Edward,146, 148, 155,  161, 103. 

Vaughn,  Blanche,  202. 

Verner,  Charles  Erin,  257,  200. 

Vernon,  W.  H.,  245. 

Vestvali,  Felicita,  170,  171. 

Venn,  Topsy,  237. 

Viennese  Lady  Fencers,  249. 

Vining,  Fanny,  154. 

Von  Olker,  Ferd,193. 

Yokes  Family,  204,  205,  207,  210,  229, 

241. 
Vokes,  Rosina,  241,  247,  249,  251,  254. 
Vokes,  Victoria,  254. 

Wainwright  Marie,  224. 

Wallace  Sisters,  209. 

Wallack,  Fanny,  149. 

Wallack,  James  W.,  127,  103, 188,  254. 

Wallack,   Lester,  180,   201,   207,   225, 

232. 
Waller,  Emma,  187. 
Wallick,  James  H.,  257,  200. 
Wallace,  Miss,  240. 
Ward,  Gene--:<we,  224,  231,  245. 
Ward,  Governor,  18. 
Ward,  James  M.,  183,  188,  201. 
Warde,  Fred.,  213,  223,  244,  240,  247, 

249,  250. 
Ware,  George  H.,  270. 
Warren,  Minnie,  200. 
Warren,  Win.,  109,  170,  173,  182,  224. 
Waterman,  Ida,  210. 
Watkins,  Harry,  170, 187, 188. 
Watson,  Matthew,  271. 
Weathersbee,  Eliza,  217. 
Weaver,  II.  A.,  184,  210. 
Weber,  Eliza,  187. 
Webster,  Daniel,  Jr.,  273,  274. 
AVebster,  Lucette,  182. 
Weeden,  Arthur  P.,  273. 
West,  Win,  239,  259. 


Westminster  Musee,  270. 
Western,  Helen,  108,  170,  177,  181. 
Western,   Lucille,  105,  108,  176,  181, 

187,  188,  205,  208. 
Weston,  Maggie,  227. 
Wheatley,  Wm,  108. 
Wheelock,  Joseph,  226,  252. 
Whipple,  John,  52,  53. 
White,  Elizabeth,  118. 
White,  AVm.  E,  275. 
Whiting,  John,  201. 
Whitlock,  Mrs,  31. 
Whitman,  13.  F  ,  180. 
Whitman,  Sarah  Helen,  53, 130. 
Wightman,  Wm.  B,  197. 
Wilde,  Oscar,  232. 
Wiley,  Dora,  222. 

Wilkinson,  Lillie,  187,  188,  207,  208. 
Williams,  Fred,  184. 
Williams,  Gus,  207,  224,  231,  232,  237. 
Williams,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney,  149, 

109,  175,  176,  184,  187,  207. 
Williamson,  J.  C,  184,  187. 
Wills  and  Jerome,  200. 
Wilmot,  Emmie,  207,  208,  207,  268. 
Wilson  Francis,  227. 
Wilson,  George  W,  200,  276. 
Wilson,  Harry,  241. 
Wing,  Wm.  H,  274. 
Wood,  Mrs.  John,  200. 
Wood,  N.  S,  252. 
Woodruff,  Samuel  K,  270. 
Woodworth,  Samuel,  94. 
Worrell  Sisters,  180. 
Wyatt,  George,  103. 
Wvmans,  The,  237. 
Wyndham,  Charles,  187,  232. 

Yeamans,  Jennie,  227. 
Young,  Charles,  73,  74,  81,  102. 
Young,  Mrs.  Charles,  81. 
Young,  Nellie,  201. 

Zoe,  Mile,  183,  200,  205. 


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